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BERLIN: A German court ruled on Tuesday that the government is obliged to issue visas to Afghan nationals and their family members who were accepted into a humanitarian admissions programme that the new centre-right coalition intends to shut down.

A foreign ministry official said the government was reviewing the decision, which is not yet legally binding. After the hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 by Western allies, Germany established several programmes to resettle local staff as well as particularly vulnerable Afghans.

Since May 2021, Germ­any has admitted about 36,500 vulnerable Afgh­a­­ns including former local staff by various pathways. Some 2,400 Afghans appr­oved for admission are waiting in Pakistan to travel to Germany without a clear idea of when, as the programme has been suspended pending a government review, the foreign ministry in Berlin said this month. The court decision, in response to an urgent appeal by an Afghan woman and her family, ruled that the government was legally bou­nd to honour its “irrevocable” commitment to them.

“The applicants assert that they are entitled to a visa and can no longer remain in Pakistan. They face deportation to Afgh­anistan, where they fear for their lives,” it said.

However, the government is within its rights to end the programme for Afghans and refrain from issuing any new admission commitments going forward, according to the court in Berlin.

NGOs have said that an additional 17,000 Afghans are in the early stages of selection and application under the now-dormant scheme.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

ISLAMABAD: The chair­per­son of the Senate Standing Com­mittee on Climate Change, Sena­tor Sherry Rehman, has urged collective climate action to address the cascading polycrisis.

Speaking at the conf­erence on ‘Pakistan’s Final Warning: Climate Calamity or Col­­lective Action’, the PPP senator said that despite unprecedented clim­a­­te shocks, there was a trou­­­bling silence in policy corridors.

“I see no alarm bells ringing anywhere in power corridors. No budgets are being recalibrated for coping better with the crisis,” she noted.

“If there is one priority for collective climate action in Pakistan it has to be water conservation. The water crisis means we have either too much water in the system and rivers at the wrong time, or too little when and where we need it, to sustain food security and livelihoods across the country.

Pakistan, she noted, is deeply underprepared for the scale of climate investment required: “To meet the climate crisis head on, everything will have to be scaled up. Finance is just one part of it. And let’s be clear — it’s not coming in anywhere close to the quantum needed by frontline ecosystems like ours.”

She also reminded the in­­t­ernational community of their responsibilities and str­­essed the importance of public-private partnerships.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

KARACHI: A sessions court on Tuesday sought a report from police on an application seeking registration of an FIR against the city mayor, director general of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) and others over the collapse of a five-storey building in Lyari last week.

Advocate Muhammad Haroon has filed the application under Sections 22-A and 22-B of the criminal procedure code (CrPC) for registration of an FIR against Mayor Murtaza Wahab, the SBCA chief, heads of utility companies and officials of other public departments for their alleged wilful misconduct and “criminal negligence” in connection with the collapse of the Lyari building.

The applicant also requested the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) under the supervision of the court to probe a “pattern of illegal constructions, building collapses, forged approvals and loss of life across Karachi”.

After a preliminary hearing, the additional district and sessions judge (South) issued notices to the SSP complaint cell (South) and the SHO of the Baghdadi police station to submit their respective reports.

Referring to the tragic incident in which at least 27 people lost their lives and several others sustained injuries, the applicant contended that an FIR should be registered under relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against officials of public departments responsible for enforcing building safety regulations, as well as those who approved utility connections from K-Electric, Sui Southern Gas Company, Sindh Environmental Protection Agency and others.

He also held the fire department responsible for failing to conduct inspections or ensure emergency access in high-density areas.

The applicant alleged that, despite repeated written complaints by residents, no action was taken by the SHO of the concerned police station or the SSP South, claiming that police officials had been “routinely providing protection to builders and land grabbers involved in illegal constructions.”

He also claimed that it was a matter of public knowledge that bribes were allegedly collected by police officials and SBCA personnel on a per-floor basis to permit unlawful vertical expansion.

“These systemic corrupt practices have directly contributed to repeated building collapses, including the tragic incidents in Lyari, Ranchor Line, and Usmanabad,” he submitted.

Citing a Supreme Court ruling in a suo motu case on illegal construction in Karachi, the applicant asked the court to direct the police to record his statement and register an FIR against the proposed accused.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

RAWALPINDI: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Tuesday inaugurated the General Post Office (GPO) underpass on the Mall and the Nawaz Sharif Flyover on Adiala Road.

The work on the Nawaz Sharif Flyover started in January and its initial cost was Rs2.1 billion, which later escalated to Rs3.6 billion. The work on the GPO underpass started in February for Rs4.6 billion.

In a briefing, the CM was informed that 67 road projects, stretching up to 607 kilometres, had been launched in Rawalpindi, out of which 51 had been completed.

The newly inaugurated Nawaz Sharif Flyover, which starts from Kutchery Chowk on Adiala Road, will benefit traffic passing through GT Road, Ring Road, and the Chakri Interchange on the Motorway.

It was further apprised in the briefing that the traffic from Gorakhpur, Adiala, Khalsa Khurd, Khalsa Kalan, Dhalan, Jarrar Camp, Dhok Awan, and other surrounding localities will benefit from the flyover. A two-kilometre service road has also been constructed around the Nawaz Sharif Flyover.

The CM was informed that for the first time, the latest intelligent signal systems had been installed as part of the GPO Underpass project. The nearly two-kilometre-long underpass will provide easy access to the National Highway N-5 via Kashmir Road. It was further apprised in the briefing that the GPO underpass will also facilitate millions of patients coming to the CMH, MH, and AFIC.

At the inauguration ceremony, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also announced that the government would launch clean drinking water projects across Punjab. She announced potable water projects for south Punjab and Potohar. The chief minister also hinted at the early resolution of the water supply problem in Murree, besides the preparation of a project for the construction of an expressway along Leh Nullah in Rawalpindi.

She said, “…the Nawaz Sharif Flyover project will reduce the travel time from Rawalpindi to Chakri by one hour. Most of the road construction and rehabilitation projects have been completed in Rawalpindi.”

According to the CM, the Punjab government has constructed and repaired 12,000 km of roads, and within a few weeks, 19,000 km of roads will be repaired and rehabilitated across the province.

She maintained, “People acknowledge that roads are being built in a record period, it seems as if giants are working. Roads which had not been built for the last 30 years have been built now.”

She congratulated the relevant official for ensuring the timely completion of the Nawaz Sharif Flyover and the GPO underpass. “This project, which will facilitate the plying of two lakh vehicles daily, has been made state-of-the-art,” she added.

The CM also said that the Rawalpindi Ring Road would be completed in record time. “All schools in Rawalpindi are being revamped and will be completed soon. I am personally monitoring the beautification projects of Rawalpindi city,” she added.

More than 1250 health centres across Punjab have been revamped and turned into mini hospitals. The condition of hospitals has entirely changed in a record period of time,” she added.

The CM also highlighted the ‘Suthra Punjab’ project, saying commendable work was being carried out across the province under this project.

“When visitors reach Barian (in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) from Murree, where the jurisdiction of Punjab ends, a visible difference in cleanliness and infrastructure is witnessed,” she elaborated.

She emphasised that teamwork had become their distinguishing feature in Punjab. The entire team worked with dedication and devotion during Muharram, which was appreciated by the public, particularly the Shia community.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

• Peshawar High Court orders ECP to modify notification of women seats in KP Assembly
• Sets aside notification declaring JUI-F’s Gorpal Singh minority lawmaker
• IHC also issues notice to Election Commission over KP reserved seats

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday barred two women MPAs-elect of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly from taking oath and directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to modify its last year’s notification on the allocation of these seats.

A two-member bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad Ali and Justice Dr Khurshid Iqbal also set aside the ECP’s notification dated March 26, 2024, which had declared Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) candidate Gorpal Singh as MPA-elect on a seat reserved for non-Muslims in the KP Assembly.

The court directed the ECP to reallocate reserved seats for women and non-Muslims within 10 days in accordance with the law, after hearing all relevant political parties, their representatives and contesting candidates.

Until the ECP issues a new decision, the bench ordered that the oath should not be administered to JUI-F MPAs-elect Naheeda Noor and Arifa Bibi, who were elected on the disputed seats.

The bench issued a short order on a petition filed by the PML-N through its KP President Amir Muqam, who challenged two ECP notifications dated March 4 and March 26, 2024. These notifications declared candidates from various parties as MPAs-elect on reserved seats for women and non-Muslims.

The PML-N argued that both it and JUI-F had seven MPAs in the KP Assembly, but while PML-N received eight reserved seats for women, JUI-F was allotted 10. On the non-Muslim seats, JUI-F was granted two out of four seats, whereas PML-N was allocated only one.

The petition also challenged the ECP’s cut-off date of Feb 22, 2024, for independent MPAs to join political parties, after which reserved seat allocations were made.

The bench declared that the ECP’s use of the Feb 22 date for allocating reserved seats was illegal and contrary to the mandate of Article 106 of the Constitution, Sections 18 and 104 of the Elections Act 2017, and Rule 92 of the Elections Rules 2017.

The bench pointed out that the electoral college for reserved seats must include all members of political parties, as well as independent candidates who have joined parties, as of the actual date of election or allocation of the reserved seats.

A panel of lawyers, including Aamir Javed, Saqib Raza and Syed Inayat Shah, appeared for the petitioner and stated that the PML-N had initially won five seats in the Feb 8 general elections, and two independents later joined it.

Mr Javed said that the ECP allegedly calculated reserved seat allocations based on only six MPAs rather than seven. He noted that although an independent MPA joined PML-N on Feb 22, the same day he was officially notified as an MPA-elect, the ECP did not include him in the final seat tally.

Initially, the ECP allocated five women’s seats on Feb 22 — two each to PML-N and JUI-F, and one to PPP. On March 4, it issued a second notification for the remaining 21 seats, resulting in JUI-F receiving a total of 10 reserved seats and PML-N eight.

As for the four seats reserved for non-Muslims, one each was initially allocated to JUI-F, PML-N and PPP. The petitioner contended that the fourth seat should have been decided through a draw between JUI-F and PML-N, but the ECP unilaterally awarded it to JUI-F candidate Gorpal Singh.

The ECP was represented by Special Secretary Zafar Iqbal, legal counsel Mohsin Kamran Siddique, Special Secretary (Law) Mohammad Arshad and Deputy Director Saima Tariq Janjua. Advocate Naveed Akhter appeared for JUI-F and argued that his party had not been made a respondent in the petition despite being directly affected.

IHC issues notice to ECP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday also issued a notice to the ECP on a petition filed by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Parliamentarians (PTI-P), seeking suspension of the ECP’s July 2 notification allocating 21 reserved seats in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the plea. PTI-P’s legal team, comprising Advocates Sultan Muhammad Khan and Tufail Shahzad, appeared in court alongside the party’s Central Secretary General Malik Habib Noor.

Advocate Khan argued that the ECP’s notification was based on flawed calculations and had deprived PTI-P, founded in 2023 by the former KP chief minister Pervez Khattak, of its lawful share of reserved seats. He maintained that the party should have received additional seats based on its performance in the Feb 8 general elections.

Justice Minhas inquired whether any court had suspended the notification. The lawyer confirmed that no stay had been granted so far. The court declined to suspend the notification immediately but issued a notice to the ECP to submit a response and adjourned the hearing.

PTI-P argued that allowing lawmakers elected through the disputed notification to take oath would cause “irreversible prejudice” and undermine the party’s main petition.

The party contended that the ECP’s March 4, 2024, notification erroneously recorded PTI-P as having secured only one general seat in KP, whereas it had actually won two — PK-73 and PK-103. This misrepresentation allegedly cost the party at least three reserved seats.

The matter was also earlier under review in the PHC, which had granted a stay on the oath-taking of MPAs on reserved seats. However, after a two-member PHC bench raised questions about the petition’s maintainability in light of similar proceedings at the IHC, PTI-P withdrew its petition from the PHC, resulting in the dismissal of the case and recall of the stay order.

Malik Asad in Islamabad also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025