Asif warns judiciary against overstepping authority
Asif said that the judiciary and parliament were at war for the past several months or at least a year. “Even the judiciary cannot dictate parliament,” Asif, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), told the house. Asif recalled that former chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry recused himself from hearing of a case of his son. However, this bill was not signed by the president but still the Supreme Court took notice of it. “We wanted to introduce such a process that will end the impression of a one-man show in the Supreme Court.”
Source:The Express Tribune
May 31, 2023 16:15 UTC
Military trial of Imran admission that case against PTI chief is ‘weak’: ex-HRW head
ISLAMABAD: Former executive director of Human Rights Watch Kenneth Roth has said that the government’s move to prosecute PTI Chairman Imran Khan in military courts is a “virtual admission that the case against him is weak”. Roth added that Pakistan’s military courts, which he said used secret procedures that deny due process rights, should not be used to prosecute civilians, even for alleged crimes against the military. “For the Pakistani government to threaten to prosecute Imran Khan in compromised military courts is a virtual admission that the “case” against him is weak. If he really did something wrong, why not prosecute him in independent civilian courts?,” tweeted Kenneth Roth. twitter.com/KenRoth/status/1663771548296069120?s=20In a subsequent tweet, Mr Roth said that civilians should be prosecuted only in independent and impartial civilian courts.
Source:Pakistan Today
May 31, 2023 15:40 UTC
Imran skips JIT’s Jinnah House attack probe
PTI Chairman Imran Khan gestures as he speaks during an interview with AFP at his residence in Lahore on May 18. The PTI chief submitted his reply to the JIT through his lawyers, Ali Ijaz Buttar and Naeem Haider Panjhuta. In his reply, Imran wrote that a notice for joining the investigation of the case Number 96/23 registered by the JIT on May 10, 2023 was sent to him. Imran claimed that despite “serious violations” of his fundamental rights, he was ready to be a part of the investigation into the Jinnah House vandalism. Imran wrote in his reply that “unnecessary exposure”, with the JIT's “kind support”, could be avoided.
Source:The Express Tribune
May 31, 2023 11:27 UTC
Govt plans budget at Rs290/$
Sources told The Express Tribune that the Ministry of Finance has instructed government departments to prepare budget estimates for the fiscal year 2023-24 using the Rs290 to a dollar exchange rate. This rate is crucial for determining the defence budget, foreign debt servicing, the cost of running Pakistan’s missions abroad, and the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP). For the outgoing fiscal year, the government had set the rupee-dollar parity at Rs186 to a dollar for budget purposes. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has requested Pakistan to share its foreign exchange policy due to the significant gap between the interbank and open market rates. The Ministry of Defence has requested a budget of Rs1.92 trillion, while the finance ministry has indicated Rs1.7 trillion thus far.
Source:The Express Tribune
May 31, 2023 07:30 UTC
Pakistan must step back from its moment of insanity
Military and anti-terrorism courts cannot be used to try civilians, simply because it is expedient and convenient for the government. This is our moment of madness. Once the moment of insanity passes, people often look back, reflect and understand where they were wrong. The insanity of the moment must be recognised, and somebody must blink. Let us recognise this moment of great peril that we are in.
Source:The Nation
May 31, 2023 03:30 UTC
Sudan crisis sparks EU fears of ‘spillover’ to other nations
Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid bin Abdullah Bukhari, right, and Lebanon’s caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi attend a press conference at Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. “Any country that has a non-state actor within it is considered a ‘failed state,’” Salman Al-Ansari, a Saudi political researcher, told Arab News. In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran restored diplomatic relations under a Chinese-mediated deal. (Getty Images/AFP)“It is still unclear what the Chinese mediation between Saudi Arabia and Iran will result in with regard to the Lebanese file,” Al-Ansari said. “Saudi Arabia doesn’t want anything from Lebanon except for it to be politically stable and prosperous.
Source:The Nation
May 31, 2023 03:12 UTC
Husky track coach leaving for Samford
By John Goolsby, For the TribuneTRUSSVILLE – Hewitt Head Boys and Girls Track and Field coach Tom Esslinger is heading to Samford University after 20 years as a high school coach and educator. In Esslinger’s first year at Hewitt, the girls and boys won the 7A State Championship in Indoor Track and Field. The 2021 Trussville City Schools Foundation Coach of the Year Award recipient has had great success as a high school coach and program director. Esslinger then moved across town to Homewood High School, where he served as the head track and field coach and track and field and cross country program director from 2005-2020. “I can’t wait to be a part of the dynasty Coach Tiffin has built at Samford,” said Esslinger.
Source:The Express Tribune
May 30, 2023 21:56 UTC
Man sentenced to more than 26 years in prison on drug trafficking charges
From the Tribune staff reportsHUNTSVILLE – A federal judge sentenced an Athens man on drug charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Carlton L. Peeples on Friday, May 26. U.S. District Court Judge Liles Burke sentenced Eric Cordelle Bass, 35, of Athens, to 322 months in prison. Bass pleaded guilty in February 2023 to two counts of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. “This sentence sends a message that armed drug dealers will face stiff consequences in the Northern District of Alabama,” said U.S. Attorney Escalona. The FBI investigated the case along with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office.
Source:The Express Tribune
May 30, 2023 21:12 UTC
Govt to prioritize relief to public, economic uplift in upcoming budget: PM
Says budget to encompass steps for enhancing industrial growth, exportsSays nation, industrialists, businessmen working hard to improve economic situationISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the federal government will prioritize providing maximum relief to masses and economic uplift in the upcoming budget for fiscal year 2023-24. He said the government, the whole nation, industrialists and the business community were working hard to improve the country’s economic situation. Prime Minister Shehbaz directed his Advisor Ahad Cheema to finalise the proposals from the industrial sectors and ensure their incorporation into the budget. The ministries of commerce and industrial production put forward the budget proposals received from different sectors. The prime minister directed the authorities concerned to carry out detailed work on the proposals and present a report to him.
Source:Pakistan Today
May 30, 2023 19:04 UTC
Birmingham continues violent crime wave as suburbs are both most dangerous, safest municipalities in U.S.
Recently, the BPD addressed the continuing violent crime wave in a statement following five shootings over the weekend of May 20. Its violent crime rate was 20.57, and its property crime rate was 56.52. Its violent crime rate was 5.96, and its property crime rate was 25.85. Gardendale and Irondale’s crime rates at 29.01 and 30.11, respectively, did not exceed Alabama’s crime rate but exceeded the national median. Its violent crime rate was 9.08, and its property crime rate was 30.51.
Source:The Express Tribune
May 30, 2023 15:42 UTC
Iranian model dons noose dress at Cannes to highlight executions
Iranian model Mahlagha Jaberi chose to use her attendance to make a powerful statement against executions in Iran. According to a report by Iran Human Rights, the country witnessed over 500 executions in 2022, marking the highest rate in five years. According to Amnesty International, "The use of the death penalty increased and public executions resumed," in 2022. Amnesty International also stated, "Executions increased from the previous year and public executions resumed after a two-year hiatus. Jaberi's impactful statement at the Cannes Film Festival draws attention to the urgent need to address the troubling human rights situation in Iran.
Source:The Express Tribune
May 30, 2023 15:06 UTC
SAPM Tarar vows to hold May 9 arsonists accountable
Tarar stated that Pakistan's national sport hockey has been in decline for many years. “We want the Pakistani flag to rise high once again in the Hockey World Cup and the Olympics,” he said. SAPM commended young generation saying the youth have come forward to shoulder the responsibilities of the nation. He recalled that in 2013, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif laid the foundation of the Prime Minister's Youth Programme. “The statue of Martyred Captain Karnal Sher Khan was set on fire,” SAPM said, adding that was enemies’ act because “Karnal Sher Khan is the son of the KhyberPakhtunkhwa soil”.
Source:The Nation
May 30, 2023 11:06 UTC
Journalist Sami Abraham returns home
Senior journalist and TV anchorperson Sami Abraham returned home in the early hours of Tuesday after going missing from the federal capital last week. 🙏🏼 — Sami Abraham (@samiabrahim) May 30, 2023Earlier on Monday, Abraham’s daughter, Zainab Sami, tweeted the “great news” her family received and shared that her father had “reached home safely”. My dad, Sami Abraham, reached home safely just moments ago. This wouldn’t have been possible without you 🤍🤍🤍 — Zainab Sami (@zainabsami00) May 29, 2023Abraham’s “good friend” Supreme Court Advocate Raja Aamir Abbas also announced that the journalist was “back” with a picture of Abraham in a hospital bed. After Abraham’s return, many have called for the swift return of journalist and YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan, who remains missing.
Source:The Express Tribune
May 30, 2023 07:41 UTC
IMF spells out terms to unlock bailout
The sources said that the prime minister saw the IMF as the last resort to avoid a default and that was why he decided to intervene. After the conversation with the IMF chief, the prime minister instructed the finance ministry to share details of the next budget with the IMF. The contact was made a day before Finance Minister Ishaq Dar criticised the global lender again. Earlier, the prime minister had telephoned Georgieva and sought her intervention to start review talks, which eventually took place in February. Of the $6.5 billion, the IMF has not yet disbursed $2.6 billion, including $1.2 billion tranche linked with the completion of the 9th review.
Source:The Express Tribune
May 30, 2023 07:32 UTC
PRCS pays tribute to Father of Nation
The Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) held a “Mega Youth Gathering and Awareness Walk” to commemorate Red Cross Red Crescent Day. The event took place in Lahore here on Monday, starting from Ayub Sports Complex and concluding at Jinnah House. The walk was led by PRCS Chairman Sardar Shahid Ahmed Laghari and saw the participation of numerous students, PRCS personnel, volunteers, and individuals from diverse schools of thought. The main objectives of the event were to foster patriotism, instill positive attitudes among young people, and pay tribute to the founder of the nation and the Pakistan Red Crescent, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He mentioned that the Red Crescent is organizing Red Cross Red Crescent Day celebrations in provincial headquarters nationwide.
Source:The Nation
May 30, 2023 06:38 UTC