Politics

PTI fields lawyers as frontrunners for Feb 8 elections in Karachi

Published

5 months ago

Farwa

PTI lawyers to vie for seven NA, four provincial assembly seats.
Party has fielded lawyers in other provinces as well.
Key PTI leaders ditched the Imran Khan-led party.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has issued party tickets to about a dozen counsels to contest general elections on the National Assembly and Sindh Assembly seats in Karachi.

PTI lawyers will vie for seven NA seats and four provincial assembly seats in the city. Whereas, contests will be held on a total of 22 NA and 47 SA seats in the general elections on February 8 across the megalopolis.

Advocate Zahoor uddin, who is the Insaf Lawyers Forum Karachi president, is contesting from NA-237 (East-III), Shujaat Ali Khan NA-243 (Keamari-II), Khalid Mehmood NA-231 (Malir-III), Advocate Haris Meo NA-233 (Korangi-II), Attaullah Khan NA-245 (West-II), Barrister Fayaz NA-247 (Central-I) and Barrister Uzair Ghauri from NA-249 (Central-III).

Those contesting the provincial assembly seats, include Ashraf Samoo PS-89 (Malir-VI), Barrister Ali Tahir PS-101 (East-V), Advocate Ali Palh PS-103 (East-VII) and Rana Imran PS-123 (Central-II).

Likewise, the party has fielded lawyers in other provinces as well. The prominent among them are Barrister Gohar Ali Khan (from Buner), Latif Khosa (Lahore), Salman Akram Raja (Lahore), Shoaib Shaheen (Islamabad), and Sher Afzal Marwat (Lakki Marwat).

The party, which has been through a great deal since May 9, says it has rewarded the lawyers for their support and commitment to fighting cases against workers and leaders in the face of testing times.

However, political analysts also see it as a good strategy to bank on advocates because of unity among their ranks and the backing of lawyers’ bodies. “Lawyers supported and stood by the PTI in its testing times and handled cases of party leaders, including Imran Khan. They truly deserved [party tickets],” PTI leader Khurram Sher Zaman said, talking to The News.

“They were rewarded for their unwavering dedication and tireless efforts. Yet workers were fielded on 70-85 per cent of the seats. In my opinion, lawyers should have had an even greater share in the allocation of seats.”

In the wake of the events of May 9, key PTI leaders ditched the Imran Khan-led party. They were picked up or arrested, and later emerged to condemn the May 9 violence and quit the party. Some even quit politics altogether.

With most PTI leaders either in hiding or behind bars and having ditched the party, lawyers became the face of the party. Barrister Gohar Khan was recently elected as the party chairman in intra-party elections, which were though nullified by the Supreme Court.

“Lawyers enjoy the backing of bar council and bar associations, which have a tradition of safeguarding the fundamental rights of their members. Arresting them or launching legal action against them seems somewhat difficult though the establishment has no such tradition as it treats everyone badly,” said Dr Tauseef Ahmed Khan.

“[Fielding lawyers] is an excellent strategy. I don’t think of any better decision than this.”

An independent candidate, Advocate Johar Abid, was lately picked up from his residence. The Karachi Bar Association observed a complete boycott of legal proceedings at the City Courts against what it described the abduction of its member by people posing as police officials. A day later, Johar Abid returned home.

“Lawyers are the most organised community in civil society and hold significant sway. Some political parties are trying to cash in on them,” opined senior court reporter Asghar Umar. “Lawyers used to be elected to parliament, but since the lawyers’ movement became a symbol of their success, they became a force to be reckoned with as they can get relief for themselves by standing up to any other state institution.”

But with the rise in their power, he said, polarisation has also increased among their ranks. PTI candidate Zahoor uddin is hopeful that the lawyers would win the elections. “While former PTI parliamentarians quit the party, it was lawyers who stood by it, fighting cases and securing their release. They also held rallies and protests, because of which the party decided to award them tickets,” he said. Advocate Shujaat Khan said he has been visiting his constituency and getting good response from voters. He is also hopeful that the lawyers would win the elections.

Latest News

Nationwide protest gatherings will be held by the PTI on June 14.

Published

7 hours ago

Farwa

Zahir Shah, the minister of food for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has said that Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) will stage protests across the country to demand the release of PTI founder Imran Khan.

On June 14, protests around the country would take place, according to Zahir Shah Toru.

He added that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister had made plans for protests in every district.

In the protests, fictitious accusations made against PTI founder Imran Khan and its leadership will be denounced.

There would be no breaking of the law or the constitution, according to KP Minister Zahir Shah.

At 5:00 p.m., the Mardan demonstration will take place.

Latest News

Shah Mehmood, founder of the PTI, and others found not guilty in Azadi March case

Published

8 hours ago

Farwa

Information suggests that court magistrate Malik Muhammad Imran exonerated Imran Khan, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Sheikh Rasheed, the chief of AML, in addition to announcing the reserved verdict.

Acquittal of Sadaqat Abbasi and Ali Nawaz Awan from the Azadi March case was also ordered by the court.

It should be mentioned that numerous prominent members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), like as Shah Mahmood Qureshi, former prime minister Imran Khan, and others, were apprehended by the police in separate complaint letters pertaining to the Azadi March.

Following unrest between police and the PTI leader in the provincial capital, 42 charges were filed against PTI senior leaders and workers for agitation.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had previously found former prime minister Imran Khan and PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi not guilty in a case involving ciphers.

Decisions on appeals from the cipher case’s conviction were announced by Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb of the IHC.

The party’s vice-chairman and founder, who was convicted in a similar case in January of this year, received 10-year prison sentences apiece.

On the other hand, Qureshi’s arrest in the crimes that occurred on May 9th and Imran’s sentences in the Toshakhana and Iddat cases mean that they are unlikely to be released from prison anytime soon.

Latest News

The court must disclose its ruling in the Nikah case within 10 days. IHC

Published

8 hours ago

Farwa

Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, took the couple’s conviction in the Nikah case—in which they were each fined Rs500,000 and sentenced to seven years in prison—before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

In the Nikah case, the Islamabad High Court ordered session court judge Afzal Majoka to rule on both appeals by the given deadline.

The case involving PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi Nikah was transferred to another court by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on June 3.

Ahmed Afzal Majoka, an additional district and sessions judge, now has jurisdiction over the matter.

In response to Khawar Manika’s objection, Session Judge Shahrukh Arjumand wrote to the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court, seeking that the matter be transferred.

Now that the transfer plea has been approved, the appeals against the sentencing in the Nikah case will be heard by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka.

Maneka “don’t want the case verdict from you,” according to Khawar Maneka’s counsel, who asked Session Judge Shahrukh Arjumand to transfer the case to another judge during the most recent hearing on May 29.

Apology to the High Court

Regarding the continuing Nikah case involving Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, Session Judge Shahrukh Arjumand subsequently sent a letter to the High Court.

The judge claimed in his letter that Khawar Manika had shown no faith in him at today’s session.

He asserted that the complainant’s attorney has persistently sought to postpone the proceedings through the use of excuses. It is not the judge’s opinion that the presiding officer should be specifically challenged.

He asked the High Court to transfer the appeals to another court with jurisdiction over the matter and to establish a deadline for when they should be resolved.

Marriage between Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi
In Lahore, Pakistan, the ex-prime minister wed Bushra Bibi in February 2018.

No one other than the bride’s immediate family and friends were present during the ceremony. But the sisters of the PTI founder weren’t there.

Former Pakitan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) politician Awn Chaudhary and former South African Police Minister Zulfi Bukhari were witnesses to the nikah performed by Mufti Saeed.

Khawar Maneka, Bibi’s ex-husband, went to court last year to assert that their marriage was invalid and against to Sharia law.

It was once thought that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi tied the knot during the “iddat period”—the three months immediately following a divorce. On top of that, Maneka has fornicated on them.

Sentence
In the ‘un-Islamic’ iddat case, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were both sentenced to seven years in prison.

In the nikah case involving Imran Khan and former First Lady Bushra Bibi, Judge Qudratullah pronounced the reserved ruling.

The court handed down 7 years in prison and a fine of Rs 500,000 to Imran and Bushra Bibi, the founders of the PTI.