Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday directed the government to ensure that Pervez Musharraf does not leave the country as it began hearing several petitions seeking the former military ruler's trial for treason for subverting the constitution and declaring emergency in 2007. A two-judge bench led by Justice Jawad S Khwaja ordered the Interior Secretary to take steps to prevent Musharraf from travelling abroad.
The bench issued the directive after hearing initial arguments on five petitions asking the apex court to direct the government to prosecute Musharraf under the High Treason (Punishment) Act of 1973. The bench also issued notices to the government, Musharraf and other respondents to respond to the petitions and adjourned the case till Tuesday.
The lawyers for the argued that the former military strongman had violated the Constitution by declaring an emergency in 2007 and should be put on trial for treason. They pointed out that the Senate or upper house of parliament had passed a resolution in January 2012 that said Musharraf should be arrested on his return but the government had not acted on it.
The lawyers further argued that the government had failed to act on an earlier Supreme Court order that directed authorities take action against Musharraf for violating the Constitution. Talking to reporters after the hearing, the lawyers for the petitioners said Musharraf should not be accorded "VIP protocol" as he is an accused in several cases....
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02:36 PM, Apr 08, 2013
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday ordered the indictment of former Interior Minister Rehman Malik for contempt of court for interfering in a probe into alleged corruption in a state-run steel firm, after rejecting his mercy plea. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry said Malik's response to a contempt of court notice issued to him last year was unsatisfactory. ...
05:04 PM, Mar 18, 2013
A senior anti-graft investigator, who was found dead in mysterious circumstances while probing corruption charges against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, had apparently committed suicide, Pakistani police has told the Supreme Court. ...
02:15 PM, Jan 27, 2013
Pakistan's anti-corruption chief refused an order by the country's top court to arrest the prime minister in a graft case on Thursday, saying he did not have sufficient evidence. The government and the Supreme Court have repeatedly clashed over the last year, and the chief justice's demand on Tuesday that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf be arrested set the stage for a new round of political crisis in Pakistan, a ...
01:55 PM, Jan 17, 2013
The Pakistan government plans to file a review petition against the Supreme Court order calling for the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and 16 others over corruption charges. ...
10:34 AM, Jan 17, 2013
Pakistan's political crisis seems to be deepening. The Supreme Court there intends to keep the heat on Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in a corruption case. To add to the government's troubles, Sufi cleric Tahir-ul Qadri is drawing thousands at his rally against the government and has set a midnight deadline for the Zardari government to quit. ...
08:24 AM, Jan 17, 2013
The Pakistan Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Ashraf for allegedly receiving bribes in power projects. ...
11:50 PM, Jan 15, 2013
Pakistan's main anti-corruption agency will decide whether a case should be filed against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf or if he should be arrested over allegations of graft in power projects, Law Minister Farooq Naek said on Tuesday. Speaking hours after the Supreme Court directed the National Accountability Bureau to arrest Ashraf and 15 other suspects linked to alleged corruption in setting up rental power projects, Naek said only the...
10:52 PM, Jan 15, 2013
Islamabad: Pakistan's Supreme Court on Wednesday withdrew a contempt notice issued to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf earlier this year after he failed to approach Swiss authorities to revive graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. A five-judge bench headed by Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali retracted the contempt notice after Law Minister Farooq Naek presented a receipt that showed the Swiss authorities had received the government's recent letter for the...
12:40 PM, Nov 14, 2012
Islamabad: The Supreme Court on Saturday ordered the law enforcement agencies to take infiltration of the militants in Karachi seriously, a day after Pakistani Taliban threatened to attack leaders of a political group in the southern port city. Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan said on Friday that the militants had decided to target the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in its Karachi stronghold as the group has been critical of the Taliban's...
05:48 PM, Nov 03, 2012
Islamabad: After weeks of wrangling, Pakistan Supreme Court on Wednesday approved a third draft of a letter that will ask Swiss authorities to revive graft cases against Asif Ali Zardari, with the government making it clear that any proceedings in that country would be conditional to the immunity available to the President. Law Minister Farooq Naek submitted the draft letter to a five-judge bench headed by Justice Asif Saeed Khosa,...
01:59 PM, Oct 10, 2012
Islamabad: The Pakistan Supreme Court on Thursday disqualified 11 parliamentarians, including Interior Minister Rahman Malik, for holding dual nationality. As reported by the Pakistani daily 'The Express Tribune', the other members who have been disqualified are - Farha Naz Ispahani, Zahid Iqbal, Jamil Malik, Farhat Mehmood Khan, Nadia Gabol, Amna Buttar, Ahmed Ali Shah, Wasim Qadir, Nadeem Khadim and Muhammad Ikhlaq. Rehman Malik was declared ineligible for misrepresentation of facts...
01:02 PM, Sep 20, 2012
Islamabad: Pakistan Supreme Court has adjourned the contempt case against Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf till September 18. Ashraf has asked for more time of about four to six weeks from the court. The court, however, seems to be taking a hard stand. It has told Ashraf that contempt of court is avoided not by merely appearing in court, but by following the court's directives. The Supreme Court has asked...
10:43 AM, Aug 27, 2012
Islamabad: The Pakistan Supreme Court has issued a contempt notice to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf for failing to approach the Swiss authorities to re-open corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari. The Supreme Court's deadline to Ashraf ended on Wednesday. The apex court had struck down a new contempt law last week. The law aimed at preventing the Prime Minister from being pressured to revive the graft cases. The...
11:27 AM, Aug 08, 2012
Islamabad: Alas! The days of cheap samosas in Pakistan is over. Ending a legal wrangle over the price of the humble samosa, the Supreme Court has set aside a notification of the Punjab government whereby the price of one 'samosa' was fixed at Rs 6. The samosa, till early this week, was caught up in a legal tussle between the provincial government and Punjab Bakers and Sweets Federation. In 2009,...
04:56 PM, Jul 26, 2012
Islamabad: Raja Parvez Ashraf, a stalwart of the ruling PPP, on Friday became Pakistan's new Prime Minister as the country struggled to come out of its latest political crisis. Ashraf was administered the oath of office by President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday night, hours after he was elected as the new Prime Minister by the National Assembly. A new federal Cabinet was also sworn in at the Presidency, where...
11:51 PM, Jun 22, 2012
Yousuf Raza Gilani could have broken two records in Pakistan. First, of being the country's longest serving prime minister (with the supreme court disqualifying him ...
09:32 AM, Jun 22, 2012
The Pakistan Supreme Court on Tuesday disqualified Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. ...
10:16 PM, Jun 19, 2012
The Pakistan SC disqualified Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and called upon President Asif Ali Zardari to appoint a new PM. ...
09:56 PM, Jun 19, 2012
Pakistan Supreme Court ruled Yousuf Raza Gilani was ineligible to hold office following his conviction in a contempt case. ...
04:46 PM, Jun 19, 2012
