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RAWALPINDI: A routine media talk by Imran Khan’s sister took a sour turn on Monday after a number of journalists were accosted by party supporters, ostensibly for asking ‘provocative questions’.

Subsequently, Aleema Khan, Naeem Panjutha and 40 other PTI-linked activists were booked over the alleged attack on journalists, and charged with hurling threats, committing robbery, causing damage to property and unlawful assembly.

Police sources said two suspects have already been arrested, while raids are underway to apprehend the rest of the accused.

The incident occurred outside Adiala Jail on Monday, when a group of journalists assembled for a media talk by Ms Khan following proceedings in the Toshakhana case.

In his complaint, Tayyab Baloch — a reporter for Bol TV — stated that he and other journalists were on duty near Adiala Jail’s Gate No. 1 at around 3:55pm when Ms Khan appeared after the court hearing.

Naeem Panjutha among 40 booked; three in custody, raids underway to nab other suspects

He alleged that after Ms Khan began her media talk, Mr Panjutha suddenly shouted that he should be “taught a lesson” for asking her a question about properties. At this point, the FIR claimed, two individuals allegedly grabbed him, while around 35-40 people, started beating him.

During the assault, someone also snatched his mobile phone and smashed his microphone, the FIR said.

Mr Baloch claimed that other journalists who tried to rescue him were also assaulted. He maintained that the motive behind the attack was a question he had asked Ms Khan regarding the purchase of properties in the US, which angered her.

In a statement, journalist bodies announced a demonstration outside the National Press Club today (Tuesday) to protest against the PTI leadership and demand an apology for the incident that occurred during Aleema Khan’s press conference.

A few days ago, two women were taken into custody by police for throwing eggs at Aleema Khan during a media talk outside Adiala Jail, where the proceedings on the Toshakhana case were held on Friday.

A statement issued by the Rawalpindi police said the two women, who threw eggs, were PTI supporters who had travelled to Rawalpindi with members of the All-Government Employees Grand Alliance and the All-Pakistan Clerks Association from KP to protest in support of their demands.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2025

KARACHI: Following a surge in sugar prices, consumers are now facing higher costs for flour and roti across various parts of Pakistan as wheat and flour prices continue to rise.

In Karachi, tandoor operators have raised the price of various roti varieties by an average of Rs2 per piece, which will mainly impact low- and middle-income groups, particularly daily wage earners and the labour class, who typically rely on eating their meals at local eateries.

The sharp rise in prices is evident in branded flour, with some millers raising the cost of a five-kilogram bag of fine flour to Rs700, up from Rs500 on Aug 1 and Rs600 on Sept 1, despite the arrival of the new wheat crop earlier this year. Retailers report that large-scale traders are likely profiting from the rise in prices, taking advantage of the higher demand for old flour stocks.

Some market analysts believe the ongoing wheat crisis is unrelated to the recent floods in Punjab and other regions, as the new wheat crop was harvested in March/April. However, hoarders, stockists, and investors are reportedly holding substantial wheat stocks, waiting for further price hikes driven by supply and demand dynamics.

Salman Mian Araieen, a member of the All Sindh Sheermal Tandoor Roti Association, stated that tandoor operators who were previously selling naan at Rs22 and Rs23 per piece (weighing 180 grams) have now raised prices to Rs25. Additionally, the price of chapati has increased by Rs2 per piece, reaching Rs14-15, up from Rs11-12. Some tandoor owners have refrained from passing on the full impact of rising flour prices, waiting for a potential reversal in flour rates.

According to Araieen, the price of 50 kg of fine atta has risen by Rs1,900 in just a month, now costing Rs5,700 per bag, up from Rs3,800. Despite the rise in flour costs, the prices of sheermal and taftan have remained unchanged, even as sugar prices climbed to Rs200 per kg from Rs180, and the cost of a 16kg tin of ghee surged to Rs7,900 from Rs6,500 in recent months. Currently, sheermal and taftan are priced at Rs70-90 per piece, depending on weight and quality. If flour prices continue to rise, an additional Rs10 per piece may be added to these items.

Some tandoor owners are reportedly considering discontinuing the sale of Rs20 naan (weighing 140-145 grams), as the price no longer covers their costs. Araieen noted that the price of a 40kg wheat bag, which has now reached Rs3,943 (Rs9,857 per 100kg), is the highest recorded in 72 weeks, last seen in April 2024.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2025

ISLAMABAD: Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Ju­­dge Abual Hasanat Moha­mmad Zulqarnain on Monday extended the pre-arrest bail of Bushra Bibi, Omar Ayub Khan and several other PTI leaders in cases pertaining to the Nov 26 protest and demonstrations held outside the Supreme Court.

During the hearing, PTI leaders Sher Afzal Marwat and former Azad Jammu and Kashmir prime minister Abdul Qayyum Niazi appeared before the co­­u­rt, while exemption applications filed on behalf of Omar Ayub, Zartaj Gul and others were accepted.

The court observed that over 240 bail pleas of PTI leaders were pending and directed the parties to present arguments at the next hearing of the case on November 13. Cases against PTI leaders have been registered with Ramna, Sangjani, Tarnol and other police stations.

Meanwhile, ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra conducted proceedings in connected cases, where he noted that the letter written by the PTI founder requesting a jail trial in the Nov 26 election rigging and Azadi March protest cases had not yet received a response from authorities concerned.

“If the state is serious about pursuing these cas­es, it should decide soon,” the judge remarked, adding that he would send a reminder on the matter. The court also distributed copies of the challan in the Kohsar police station case.

During proceedings, ex­­emption applications were also filed by Omar Ayub and Ali Nawaz Awan. Re­­ferring to a viral video of Omar Ayub, Judge Sipra observed that “Omar Ayub is flying in the wind; he would have fallen ill in the courtroom”.

Defence counsel, however, clarified that the video was old and not recent.

Separately, the procee­ding to indict KP Chief Mi­­nis­ter Ali Amin Ganda­pur in the audio leak case pending before an additional district and sessions judge was postponed once again.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2025

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on a petition of PTI’s incarcerated former senator Ejaz Chaudhry seeking a stay order against the Senate by-election.

Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad heard the petition.

A counsel for the petitioner pointed out that the Peshawar High Court, on a petition filed by former Senate opposition leader Shibli Faraz, had already suspended the implementation of the by-election schedule for his vacated seat.

Therefore, he said, the schedule of the by-poll for the Senate seat vacated after the conviction of Ejaz Chaudhry should also be suspended.

The judge directed the ECP to submit a reply within two weeks.

An anti-terrorism court had awarded multiple sentences to Ejaz Chaudhry in cases of May 9 riots.

Following his conviction, the ECP issued a notification about the disqualification of the former senator, leading to announcement of the by-poll schedule.

REMAND: A judicial magistrate extended the physical remand of a suspect, Mudassar Hussain, for four days in a case of promoting online gambling apps. The NCCIA presented the suspect before the court after the completion of his eight-day physical remand. The investigating officer argued that further investigation was required and more remand should be granted.

The magistrate accepted the agency’s request and extended the physical remand of the suspect for four days.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2025

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has said as many as 64 complaints against judges were decided in past one year, while additional 65 complaints are ready to be considered in a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) — the highest judicial body that holds superior court judges accountable on misconduct — later this month, besides 72 other complaints are under scrutiny.

CJP Afridi shared council’s performa­n­­ce during the last judicial year while add­r­e­­ssing a conference marking the new judicial year here at the Supreme Court auditorium on Monday. All the 24 judges of the Su­­preme Court were present at the ceremony.

Comparing the previous years’ SJC performance, the chief justice said the council did not dispose of a single complaint in 2021-22. It decided 21 cases in 2022–23, 53 in 2023–24 and nearly 70 cases in 2024-25, he said, claiming that the institutional strengthening was also prioritised during the past one year.

He said the Supreme Court had plans to use artificial intelligence to categorise cases for fixation, but the judiciary would have to prepare itself for technology use. Under a project, which would be completed within six months, 61,000 files would be digitally screened, he explained.

“It is only when you have them digitally scanned that you can utilise the tools of AI for categorisation. It will be easy to categorise cases and to fix before one bench one issue,” he added, according to a Dawn.com report.

Justice Afridi says judiciary needs to get ready as SC plans to use AI to categorise cases for listing

Referring to the contentious issue of leave on part of judges, the CJP said he had made it very clear that during vacation, any judge could opt for holidays, but during the court work, the discretion to approve a request for leave of absence or reject it vests with CJP.

During the past year, he said, the SJC secretariat was relocated to a newly established office within the SC building, equipped with modern facilities and designed for future expansion. As the finance division approved its budget, its financial independence was secured, he said, adding that its secretary was designated as principal accounting officer.

In a year, the overall pendency of cases was brought down from 60,635 to 56,943 cases, he said. The backlog could have been reduced further, if several judges had not been engaged in larger constitutional benches, which demanded extended hearings, he added. This decline is not only statistically significant but also a meaningful step towards improving efficiency of the system, he said.

However, at the same time, data revealed that the number of adjournments sought by advocates rose sharply in 2024–25 to 56,449 compared to 22,425 in the previous year.

“I must remind you all that the Bar play an important role in advancing justice, and I urge them to help curb the growing tendency of adjournments, so that the hard-won reduction in pendency may not only be sustained but further strengthened,” the CJP said.

The conference also featured three symbolic inaugurations reflecting the judiciary’s commitment to accessibility, inclusivity, and shared responsibility, with public facilitation centre being inaugurated by litigant Basharat Javed, SC media platform by SC press association president Zulqarnain Iqbal, and Supreme Court bar cafeteria by SCBA president Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta.

The conference was also addressed by Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan, who emphasised that the SC should refrain from political cases since it makes the top court controversial, whereas Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) vice chairman Chaudhry Tahir Nas­rullah Warriach cautioned the judges to stay away from what he called a mob mentality and never yield to popular opinions.

SCBA President Rauf Atta had earlier ex­­pressed concern that despite increase in the strength of judges after the 26th Amen­d­ment, the pendency of cases did not reduce.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2025