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ISLAMABAD:

Supreme Court Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah has urged the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) to share the minutes of all its meetings during tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi.

In a letter written on June 25 to the JCP secretary, Justice Shah raised concern for not sharing the minutes of the JCP meetings to the public.

“I raise an issue of institutional concern: the commission’s discontinuation of the practice of releasing the minutes of its meetings to the public,” says the letter.

Justice Shah believes that the judiciary, as a trend-setter for other state institutions, must hold itself to the highest standards of openness and public accountability.

“The appointment of judges is a public act with far-reaching consequences. The people of Pakistan have a right to know how the judges of the top court in the country are selected, what deliberations take place, and whether constitutional standards are applied in good faith.

“The opacity that now surrounds the Commission’s workings is not healthy, not democratic, and not consistent with the Supreme Court’s image as the guardian of constitutional values,” says the letter.

He; therefore, urges the commission that the minutes of all JCP meetings held during the tenure of the current chairperson (CJP Afridi) be released to the public, in accordance with past practice.

Abdul Moiz Jaferii advocate said that the central premise of the newly instituted processes related to the judiciary was that the method and process of judicial appointments be made more transparent.

A basic feature of this transparency was the releasing of minutes which let the people see the process of determination. This has now ceased. Without reason, he adds.

After the passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the executive has dominancy in the process of judges appointment as well as selection of judges for the constitutional benches.

There is no explanation as why the senior judges were not nominated for constitutional benches in Supreme Court as well as Sindh High Court.

There is no explanation as to why dissenting judges are being sidelined by the commission.

Recently, the JCP ignored the appointment of senior most judges for their appointment as chief justices of the high court.

A lawyer says that they were just ignored because they were not government’s like-minded’ judges.

Similarly, with valid reason, some senior judges, especially Peshawar High Court Judge Ejaz Anwar, were not nominated for the appointment of SC judge.

There is no explanation as how the JCP altered its opinion about a judge whose integrity was under question one year ago.

It is also witnessed that majority of the government-backed lawyers are appointed as judges of the high courts during the tenure of CJP Afridi.

The lawyers whose integrity and competency are beyond doubt were not nominated for appointments as they were not the government’s like-minded’

CJP Afridi so far could not evolve a strategy to minimise the influence of executive in the appointment of judges.

Around 50 judges are appointed in high courts as well as Supreme Court after passage of 26th constitutional amendment.

During the tenure of ex-CJP Qazi Faez Isa, minutes of committee working under the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act was being shared on the Supreme Court website. However, this practice has been discontinued during ex CJP Yahya Afridi tenure.

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday stressed implementing the digital transaction system across the country, saying it was vital to bring transparency to the economy.

He was chairing a weekly meeting on cashless and digital economy at the Prime Minister’s House.

On the occasion, the prime minister emphasized the need to facilitate payments between citizens and businesses and to raise awareness about the use of digital systems.

He instructed the committees formed for the cashless economy to work closely with all stakeholders to present doable recommendations.

During the meeting, the prime minister was briefed that following the previous meeting, the Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Committee, the Digital Public Infrastructure Committee, and the Government Payments Committee had been established.

A detailed briefing was given in the meeting with respect to the committee’s proposals and strategies regarding the digitization of the economy.

It was informed that the State Bank of Pakistan was developing a strategy to simplify and ease digital payment methods for merchants.

A simplified package will be introduced to encourage and include small businesses in digital payments.

The target is to increase the number of mobile app users for digital payments from 95 million to 120 million, and the number of merchants using QR codes will be increased from 0.9 million to 2 million.

The total volume of digital payments is aimed to increase from Rs 7.5 billion to Rs 12 billion. The prime minister directed that all these targets should be doubled.

The meeting was further informed that the “Digital National Pakistan” project for the digital economy had been initiated. The Islamabad City mobile application has so far recorded 1.3 million downloads, offering 15 services.

Through the Islamabad City App, Rs 15.5 billion has been collected under ICT Excise and Taxation, the meeting was informed.

Work is progressing rapidly on the completion of the Digital Pakistan ID project, while E-stamping facilities will also be launched in Islamabad soon.

The meeting was further informed that efforts were underway to provide Wi-Fi internet services across Islamabad, particularly in hospitals, educational institutions, government offices, parks, and metro bus lines.

The prime minister instructed that all these facilities should also be introduced in all federal areas, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.

The meeting was attended by Minister for Information Technology and Telecom Shaza Fatima, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, Prime Minister’s Advisor Dr. Tauqir Shah, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, and other senior government officials.

Polio case

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stressing accelerated efforts to eradicate polio from the country, on Thursday expressed the resolve that despite all challenges and difficulties, the government, with the support of international, provincial, and local teams, will soon achieve the goal of a polio-free Pakistan.

“We are committed to protect every child in Pakistan from this crippling disease and achieve a polio-free Pakistan,” the prime minister said while chairing a meeting of the Anti-Polio Task Force here.

He stressed the need for full dedication and seriousness to ensure that every child across the country receives multiple doses of the polio vaccine and remains protected.

The prime minister acknowledged significant progress in the fight against polio due to the dedication of frontline workers, the commitment of the government of Pakistan, and support from the partners.

He praised the efforts and cooperation of provincial governments, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu & Kashmir, and law enforcement agencies in the anti-polio campaign.

“The safety of polio workers is our top priority,” he said adding that all stakeholders, including provincial governments, must unite and intensify their efforts to eradicate polio.

The prime minister expressed gratitude to all partners supporting the government in its polio eradication efforts.

He extended special thanks to Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman, for his comprehensive support of Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts.

The prime minister also appreciated the vital and commendable role of the Gates Foundation and all partners in the anti-polio campaign in Pakistan.

During the briefing, it was informed in the meeting that specific polio campaigns were being designed for each district in Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, based on the unique challenges faced in each area, to ensure complete eradication of the polio virus.

The anti-polio campaign in Pakistan is not only targeting polio cases among children but also working to eliminate the virus’s environmental presence.

The meeting was attended by the chair of the Anti-Polio Oversight Board, Dr. Christopher Elias, who is also the President of the Global Development Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Besides members of the Board Dr. Hanan Balkhy — Regional Director, World Health Organization (WHO), Sanjay Wijesekera — Regional Director, UNICEF, Dr. Ziad Memish — Representative of KS Relief, Saudi Arabia, Mike McGovern — Rotary International and Aziz Memon, Trustee, Rotary International also attended the meeting.

Minister for National Health Services Syed Mustafa Kamal, Minister of State for National Health Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed Bharath, PM’s Focal Person on Polio Eradication Ayesha Raza Farooq, Chief Secretaries from all four provinces, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Chief Commissioner of Islamabad Capital Territory, National Coordinator for Polio Eradication and other senior government officials were also present in the meeting.

SAHIWAL: As three investigations into the deaths of 20 babies at paediatric ward of the Pakpattan DHQ Hospital continue, a letter by Senior Head Nurse Salma Tufail has surfaced online in which she had warned the hospital medical superintendent of impending oxygen shortage and the urgent need to maintain supply records.

The letter — dated first week of June — was circulated on social media. It contradicts the statements of Pakpattan district health authority chief executive officer Dr Sohail who had categorically stated that there was no shortage of oxygen in the pediatric ward during the first three weeks of June.

Dr Sohail told the media that the children had died due to malnutrition and that they were brought to the hospital in critical condition from ‘outside’.

Speaking to Dawn, Deputy Commissioner Maria Tariq questioned the letter’s authenticity, stating, “She (Salma Tufail) submitted that oxygen was available and her letter only requested better documentation”.

The DC confirmed that all relevant records had been confiscated for review. One of the most pressing issues is the reported disappearance of ward-level documents, including the pediatric death register and deceased children’s medication charts. These omissions have prompted earlier internal committees to recommend a “refresher course” on documentation protocols for pediatric staff.

Adding to the complexity, the whereabouts of the hospital’s contracted oxygen supplier remain unknown, raising serious concerns about availability and verification of oxygen inventory during the critical period.

The local administration remained on alert on Thursday amid rumours that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz might visit the hospital to meet the bereaved families and announce financial assistance for them.

On the other hand, Prof Dr Shahid, the head of ICU, Sahiwal Teaching Hospital and head of the high level inquiry, confirmed to Dawn that he had submitted his report to the commissioner but declined to share further details.

There are concerns among the stakeholder who raised the question as to how the inquiries by three separate authorities would be consolidated into a comprehensive and transparent account of the tragedy’s underlying causes.

Meanwhile, acting on directives from the chief secretary, senior divisional and district officials — including Commissioner Sahiwal Dr Asif Tufail, RPO Mahboob Rasheed, Deputy Commissioner Pakpattan Maria Tariq and a provincial government representative — held separate meetings with the grieving parents in Pakpattan city.

Published in Dawn, July 4th, 2025