MUZAFFARABAD, JUN 14: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) High Court Friday granted bail to poet Ahmed Farhad weeks after his arrest.

The poet’s bail petition was approved against a surety bond worth Rs200,000.

Earlier this week, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had declared Farhad as a “missing person” until he returned back to his home and termed his arrest “illegal”.

The court’s order read that the poet was missing since May 15 and couldn’t reach home, while a first information report (FIR) regarding his disappearance was registered with the Lohebher Police Station in Islamabad under Section 427 and 365 PPC.

As per the order, the court was told that Farhad Ali was arrested by Police Station Dherkot Kashmir and was also wanted by the Saddar Police Station Muzaffarabad in another case of terrorism.

It added that in above circumstances the person couldn’t be produced before the bench. Therefore, the court reached a conclusion that he was forcibly disappeared and the institution concerned failed to recover him.

The court, in its order, mentioned that Farhad was currently in judicial custody, as per the investigation officer, and declared his arrest “illegal”.

The court stated that the investigation officer of Lohebher Police Station was bound to record the poet’s statement under Section-164 before a judicial magistrate after his return and proceed the investigation in light of his statement.

Farhad, a defiant poet from Kashmir, remained missing for 15 days last month after which Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan revealed that he was, in fact, arrested and in AJK police’s custody. The AGP’s statement came on May 29, in response to IHC’s directions to ensure Farhad’s recovery.

The poet was arrested and transferred to Muzaffarabad from DhirKot under multiple sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA).

His matter came into the spotlight after he allegedly went missing during protests in AJK in May following which his wife, Urooj Zainab, moved the IHC seeking her husband’s recovery, requesting the court to identify, investigate, and prosecute those responsible for his disappearance.

ISLAMABAD,):Pakistan on Thursday reiterated its call for holding Israel accountable for its grave crimes in Gaza and urged the global conscience to force Israel towards an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and bringing an end to the war on the Palestinian people.

“Pakistan believes the time has come to hold Israel accountable for its grave crimes… In this context, Pakistan notes positively the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 2735 and expresses hope for a permanent and sustainable ceasefire and an end to the suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at her weekly press briefing.

She said that Pakistan welcomed the June 12 report of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel.

“The findings of the commission of inquiry have confirmed reports of Israeli war crimes, including starvation as a method of warfare, murder or willful killing, intentionally directing attacks against civilians, forcible transfer, torture, and inhuman and cruel punishment,” she remarked.

The report called the Israeli authorities responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the military operations and attacks in Gaza since 7 October 2023.

Based on the interviews with victims and witnesses, hundreds of submissions, satellite imagery and forensic medical reports, the report calls for holding Israel accountable.

Calling this week important for Pakistan’s diplomacy for Palestine, she apprised the media of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar’s visit to Turkiye on June 8 to attend the extraordinary meeting of the D8 Council of Foreign Ministers, held to discuss the situation in Gaza. At the moot, Dar called for an urgency of an unconditional ceasefire, lifting of the siege, and unimpeded flow of aid for the Palestinian people, besides the efforts to end the war.

On the sidelines, he met with the foreign ministers of Turkiye, Malaysia, and the acting foreign minister of Iran.

The deputy prime minister also attended the high-level conference on Gaza held on June 10-11 in Amman, Jordan where he condemned the illegal acts of the occupation authorities for violating international law, employing starvation as a tool of war, and targeting humanitarian supplies and infrastructure.

He also criticized Israel for ignoring calls from the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the wider international community, and even its own allies to halt its aggression against the people of Gaza.

Besides, the deputy prime minister called for a complete, durable, and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and an end to violence in the West Bank. He called for enhanced humanitarian assistance to Gaza and support for UNRWA, advocating for the reversal of suspended donor support.

Coming to the Kashmir issue, the spokesperson highlighted the 33rd anniversary of the massacre at Chota Bazaar, Srinagar observed on June 11 when in 1991, India’s Central Reserve Force personnel opened fire at civilians, which resulted in the killing of 32 civilians and injury to 22 others. The victims also included an old woman and a child.

“We remember the victims on this somber occasion and demand justice for them. Pakistan will continue to extend political, diplomatic, and moral support to our Kashmir brothers and sisters for the just and peaceful settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions,” she reiterated.

RAWALPINDI, JUN 12 /DNA/ – General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, who is on an official visit to Turkiye, called on General (R) Yasar GULER, Minister of Defence, General Metin Gurak, Commander Turkish General Staff, General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu, Commander Turkish Land Forces, Admiral Ercument Tatlioglu, Commander Turkish Naval Forces, General Ziya Cemal Kadioglu, Commander of Turkish Air Force and Haluk Görgün, President SSB, a government agency dealing with defence production.

During the meetings, both sides deliberated upon various areas of mutual interest, bilateral defense cooperation including security, counter-terrorism, and the prevailing regional environment. The military leadership shared commitments to enhance defense engagements between both countries and reaffirmed their resolve to further fortify the fraternal relationship.

In recognition of meritorious services and contributions, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza was also awarded the ‘Legion of Merit’.

Quetta, JUN 12 /DNA/ – In his concluding remarks at the 7^th Steering Committee meeting of the European Union-funded ‘Deliver Justice Project’, Balochistan Home Minister, Mr. Ziaullah Langua, hailed the European Union and UN partners for supporting the Government’s rule of law reform agenda. He further said, “It is a journey that we all look forward to as we take the work under the new Rule of Law Roadmap to the next level to realize our vision of a people‑centered rule of law in Balochistan.” He also appreciated the Police, Levies, Prosecution, Probation and Parole, and Prisons for their commendable work by improving their legal and operational capacities.

Chairing the 7^th Project Steering Committee meeting, Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Government of Balochistan, Mr. Zahid Saleem, congratulated all partners for their longstanding collaboration with UNODC and other UN agencies, particularly UN Women and UNDP. He praised their institutional support by emphasizing the importance of achieving desired results while aligning ongoing efforts on legislative, police, prison, and women-focused reforms. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of citizen-centered and evidence-based rule of law initiatives.

During the meeting, key stakeholders reaffirmed their commitment to advancing evidence-based reforms in the rule of law sector to enhance public trust and confidence in law enforcement institutions in Balochistan. The Rule of Law Roadmap was initially approved for four years (2018–2022) and expired in May 2022. A recent evaluation informed a revised RoLR for another four years (2023–2026) to consolidate, sustain, scale up, and institutionalize good practices and data-informed approaches in the justice sector of Balochistan.

Highlighting the need for Government’s ownership and provision of matching resources for effective implementation of the Rule of Law Roadmap, Mr. Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation, EU Delegation to Pakistan stated that revalidated Rule of Law Roadmap 2023-2026 was pivotal in advancing justice, peace, and security, particularly for women and girls. He also said that data-centric, results-based approaches remained the backbone of the roadmap, serving as a tool to monitor progress and make timely decisions, while citizen-centric interventions aimed to enhance public trust in the justice system.

Dr. Jeremy Milsom, Representative, UNODC Country Office, thanked the Government of Balochistan for their vision and commitment and facilitating the revalidation and approval of the revised Roadmap. He also emphasized the need for institutional leadership to embrace evidence-based approaches to improve performance, noting the effectiveness of such methodologies in order to measure institutional performance and implementing robust reforms. Additionally, Dr. Milsom expressed gratitude to the European Union for their continued support in enhancing the rule of law and transforming the Balochistan rule of law sector into a citizen-friendly and demand-driven.

Mr. Arsalan Malik, Criminal Justice and Reforms Advisor from the UNODC Country Office in Pakistan, presented project updates and the 2024 work plan. He commended the Government of Balochistan’s commitment, as evidenced by the adoption of PC-1 and the initiation of the second phase of reforms through the endorsement of the Action Plan 2024–26. He stated that with EU support, the partners are well-positioned to further enhance the capacity of criminal justice actors in Balochistan.

Representatives from the Balochistan Police, Prosecution, Prisons, Levies, and Reclamation and Probation Departments presented their progress against provincial RoL targets. They shared the challenges and successes of

criminal justice institutions in addressing fundamental issues through sector coordination. The way forward for the implementation of the RoLR was also discussed and agreed upon.

The milestones achieved under the roadmap include, but are not limited to, capacity building and the establishment of facilitation centers such as the Women and Juvenile Facilitation Centre (WJFC), Smart Police Stations, Serious Crime Investigation Wing (SCIW) with gender facilitation desks, etc.

Fafen report says “parliamentary transparency and gender responsiveness” highlight of first 100 days

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: The performance of Pakistan’s 16th National Assembly, which concluded its first 100 days following the oath-taking of legislators on February 29, has been described as “slow-paced despite high attendance”. 

According to a report published by the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen), the assembly’s focus on “parliamentary transparency and gender responsiveness” was described as a defining characteristic of NA’s first 100 days. 

The report added that the House encouraged bipartisanship by allocating nearly 54% of the time used for points of order to the opposition.

Following the February 8 general elections, the Pakistani government descended into instability as no political party secured a clear majority. However, several of the winning parties formed an alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), forming a coalition government at the Centre.

The PML-N, therefore, formed the federal government with the support of eight parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q), Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), Pakistan Muslim League Zia (PML-Z), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and the National Party (NP).

The House, however, still remains short of 26 members.

According to Fafen, at least 23 sessions have been conducted in the lower house of the Parliament up until now, spanning over 66 hours and 33 minutes. The speaker and deputy speaker chaired 84% of the proceedings.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has, so far, attended only two sessions, which makes up 10% of his attendence as compared to former premier and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s 29% in the first 100 days of his ousted government.

Fafen added that the assembly elected its standing committee on May 17 after a month-long delay. In the first 100 days, only a money bill has been approved by the House.

The Fafen report highlights that at least 159 members, or 51%, actively participated by sponsoring agenda items or participating in discussions out of the 310 members, 61% of which were females and 49% males.

On average, 230 members were present in one session, with a maximum attendance of 302 and a minimum of 176.

The House addressed 76% of its business, including 20 legislative bills, 93 questions, 28 calling attention notices (CANs), and 11 resolutions.

In his maiden speech, PM Shehbaz outlined his government’s plans for foreign relations, agriculture, economic affairs, tax reforms, energy, human development, and law and order, the Fafen report maintained.