Category: 1. Pakistan

KARACHI: A sessions court on Tuesday sentenced filmmaker Jamshed Mahmood Raza, popularly known as Jami, to two years in prison for defaming fellow director Sohail Javed in 2019, Dawn.com reported.

He was taken into custody and moved to the Karachi central prison to serve his sentence, his lawyer has confirmed.

The court convicted him under Section 500 (defamation) of the Pakistan Penal Code and also imposed a fine of Rs10,000.

The case involved a letter Jami read out from an anonymous sexual assault survivor at the Lahooti Melo and also posted to his Facebook page.

The letter was from an unnamed survivor who described being assaulted by a very well-known figure in the entertainment industry but did not name the alleged abuser. Jami didn’t name the alleged abuser in his Facebook post either.

However, Javed argued that in the comment section of the post, many people guessed it was him and Jami did nothing to stop the speculation or deny the accusation.

Javed filed a defamation lawsuit against Jami, who denied the accusations and said the letter was handed to him by the organiser of the Lahooti Melo and he did not know the content at the time of reading it.

However, the court observed that Jami did not “produce the letter’s author, any communication with the Lahooti Melo organisers or any credible evidence to show that he was unaware of the content beforehand”.

Published in Dawn, July 9th, 2025

ISLAMABAD:

The PPP had to finally issue a statement to put to rest speculations about possible removal of President Asif Ali Zardari, who is also co-chairman of the party

Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, the PPP-Parliamentarians secretary general, on Tuesday clarified that there is no truth to the rumors circulating on social media regarding President Zardari.

“Those making such speculations have no understanding of the Constitution or the law. Zardari is the duly elected president of this country and this system cannot function without him,” he added.

It all started with a couple of journalists “revealing” on social media that a plan was underway to remove Zardari, whose party did not become a part of the coalition government after the Feb 8 general elections but supported it after securing constitutional positions including that of the president.

On June 5, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also dismissed the “rumours”, stating that some people were uncomfortable because politicians, the government and the military stand united.

“For the first time, politicians, the government and the military establishment are on the same page, and that bothers certain individuals. These people are spreading such stories,” Naqvi, who does not belong to any of the ruling parties but is regarded close to Zardari, added.

The PPP secretary general claimed that even the government could not function without the support of the PPP and that those spreading such rumors aimed to destabilize the country.

He stated that removing a PM or a CM through a vote of no confidence does not destabilize the system.

“It is unconstitutional methods or protest-based strategies that destabilize the system. If a no-confidence motion caused instability, it wouldn’t have been included in the Constitution,” he added.

PPPP’s central spokesperson Shazia Marri also emphasized that President Zardari and the PPP have a consistent track record of facing challenges head-on. “The PPP and President Zardari have proven that we never abandon the field,” she said.

Marri stated, “history is witness that President Zardari faced dictatorship and imprisonment, but never backed down.”

She added that the party maintains good relations with its coalition partners and pointed out that any change in the presidency would require a two-thirds majority across all four provincial assemblies, the National Assembly and the Senate, saying this makes such speculation unfounded.

Marri also credited President Zardari with historic democratic reforms, saying he is the only politician in Pakistan who transferred presidential powers to the Parliament.

“When the country was in crisis, it was President Zardari who raised the slogan of ‘Pakistan Khappay’ [Pakistan needed],” she said, referring to a time of national uncertainty following the assassination of his wife & slain former premier Benazir Bhutto.

In a separate statement, PML-N’s Senator Irfan Siddiqui had also confirmed that there was no proposal under consideration at any level to replace President Zardari. “President Zardari is performing his duties as the constitutional head of state commendably,” he said.

ISLAMABAD:

After a break of almost seven months, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has summoned a meeting of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on July 12.

The SJC is a constitutional body empowered to proceed against judges of the superior courts on charges of misconduct.

Currently, CJP Afridi serves as its chairman. Other members include Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Lahore High Court Chief Justice Alia Neelum and Sindh High Court Chief Justice Junaid Ghaffar.

The council is presently examining various complaints of misconduct against superior court judges.

During its previous meeting in December last year, the Council discussed proposed amendments to the Code of Conduct for Judges under Article 209(8) of the Constitution, as well as revisions to the Supreme Judicial Council Procedure of Enquiry, 2005.

A committee headed by Justice Munib Akhtar was constituted to prepare the proposed amendments to both the Code of Conduct and the enquiry procedure.

It is expected that the committee will present its proposals at the upcoming meeting.

Last year, six Islamabad High Court (IHC) judges had sought guidance from the SJC regarding interference by executive agencies in judicial functions.

However, instead of taking up the matter within the SJC, then Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa initiated suo motu proceedings on the issue.

PESHAWAR:

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has removed top officials of Rescue department and Upper Swat Development Authority following the recent drowning of tourists in the Swat River, said officials on Tuesday.

The provincial inspection team submitted a report blaming the Swat Development Authority for administrative delays, reported Express News.

The report also raised concerns over the DG Rescue’s lack of technical expertise in handling such emergencies.

The incident, in which several tourists drowned due to a delayed rescue operation, had already led the provincial government to suspend six officers earlier.

As part of the latest action, K-P Rescue DG’s services have been handed over to the Peshawar Development Authority (PDA), while the Swat Development Authority DG has been removed from his seat and assigned a non-operational role, effectively removing him from active administrative duties.

Commissioner’s findings

The decisions follow a detailed report submitted by the Malakand commissioner to an inquiry committee investigating the mishandling of the rescue operation.

The Swat tragedy has sparked criticism over lack of emergency preparedness in the region, especially during peak tourist seasons.

The provincial government’s disciplinary action underscores growing concerns over tourism safety and crisis response mechanisms in the area.

According to official reports, 17 tourists — 10 from Sialkot, six from Mardan, and one resident — were caught in floodwaters after entering the river in Khwazakhela despite visible risks.

Four tourists were rescued, while 12 bodies were recovered. Rescue efforts for one missing person are ongoing.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) described the flood level as “very high”. The sudden surge raised the Swat River’s flow from 6,738 to 77,782 cusecs within hours, leaving little chance for those trapped to return to safety.

An investigation revealed that nearby construction along the river had altered its natural flow, causing deceptively low water levels at the site.

This misled the tourists and they entered the river. A hotel security guard reportedly tried to stop them, but they bypassed the main entrance and accessed the river through the back. Within 14 minutes of entering, rising water levels prompted a distress call at 9.45am.

Rescue teams arrived at 10.05am — 20 minutes after the call. Before the incident, early flood alerts had been issued by the irrigation department at 8.41am.

Formal warnings were sent to the deputy commissioners of Swat, Charsadda and Nowshera, as well as PDMA and other relevant authorities. A formal flood alert followed at 10.30am.

The report noted that Section 144, prohibiting swimming and boating in the Swat River, had been imposed from 24 June, but enforcement remained lax

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan intends to lead a protest movement from jail against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, while his sons Sulaiman and Qasim will join the campaign after returning from the United States, his sister Aleema Khan said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail, Aleema conveyed the jailed former prime minister’s message to supporters, claiming he remained resolute despite solitary confinement and harsh prison conditions.

“He [Imran Khan] said he is free inside jail, while those outside are imprisoned,” she said, adding, “People must come out for themselves, for democracy, for the rule of law, and against the 26th Amendment. Anyone who cannot bear the weight of this movement should step aside now.”

Imran, she said, had asked that the protest movement should reach its peak on August 5 — the date that will mark two years since his imprisonment.

“After the 26th Amendment, all public rights have been effectively taken away,” she added, noting that their entire family would participate in the campaign while former prime minister sons will join the campaign after returning from the United States.

“Imran Khan’s sons, Qasim and Sulaiman, will first go to the United States to raise awareness about the injustices faced by their father, and then they will take part in the movement being launched in Pakistan. Imran Khan has been informed of this,” he said.

Read More: Imran, Bushra seek expedited hearing to suspend convictions in £190m case

Aleema, accompanied by her sisters Noreen and Uzma, said she had been denied access to her brother, although other family members were eventually allowed to meet him. She expressed concern over his treatment in custody, describing it as unprecedented.

“What is being done to him is unlike the treatment of any other prisoner. He has been denied access to television, newspapers, and reading material for a week. His books are lying in the deputy superintendent’s room,” she said.

She added that PTI founder has been held in solitary confinement and has not been allowed to see his doctor for the past ten months. “They think they can break him. But they cannot,” she said, adding that she herself had also been barred from meeting him.

Earlier in the day, dozens of PTI supporters gathered at the Gorakhpur checkpoint as Khan’s sisters attempted to walk toward the prison. Police contingents were deployed, and party workers raised slogans. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja was also present at the scene.

While Aleema was stopped near a local hotel and not allowed to proceed, other family members were eventually granted access. Former First Lady Bushra Bibi was also allowed to meet her sister-in-law Mehrunnisa.

Also Read: K-P govt dismisses senior officials after Swat river incident

Separately, PTI focal person Niazullah Niazi Advocate and MNA Munawra Baloch were stopped by police at the Dahgal checkpoint. Senator Faisal Javed and Advocate Zahoor Abbas Chaudhry were also denied entry at Gorakhpur.

However, according to party sources, Barrister Gohar, Salman Safdar, and Zahoor Abbas Chaudhry were later allowed to meet the former premier.

Speaking to reporters before the jail meeting, Safdar said the visit was as significant as any earlier one. When asked why the legal team had not been able to secure relief despite over 700 days of Imran’s detention, he said, “We are fighting the cases in courts and doing our best.”

KARACHI: Pakistan has prequalified four investors for the sale of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), while its Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCOP) has approved the transaction structure for the denationalization of the Roosevelt Hotel in New York under a joint venture, the ministry of privatization said on Tuesday.

Pakistan has been seeking to sell a 51-100 percent stake in the struggling national airline to raise funds and reform cash-draining, state-owned enterprises as envisaged under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund program. It would be the country’s first major privatization in nearly two decades.

Among the bidding groups, one is a consortium of major industrial firms Lucky Cement, Hub Power Holdings, Kohat Cement and Metro Ventures. Another is led by investment firm Arif Habib Corp. and includes fertilizer producer Fatima Fertilizer, private education operator The City School, and real estate firm Lake City Holdings. Additionally, Fauji Fertilizer Company, a military-backed conglomerate, and Pakistani airline Airblue, have been approved to bid for PIA.

“The prequalified parties will now proceed to the buy-side due diligence phase — a critical next step in the transparent and competitive privatization process of PIACL,” the privatization commission’s statement said.

PIA, once a respected carrier in Asia, has been propped up by taxpayers for decades due to political interference, corruption and inefficiencies. The airline’s privatization has repeatedly collapsed amid union resistance, legal hurdles and low investor appetite.

Pakistani state-owned enterprises post annual losses of more than Rs800 billion ($2.87 billion), and when subsidies, grants and other support are included, the burden swells beyond Rs1 trillion ($3.59 billion), Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told parliament while presenting the budget for fiscal year 2025–26 earlier this month.

PIA has been one of the government’s most costly liabilities, which has accumulated over $2.5 billion in losses in roughly a decade and been surviving on repeated bailouts that have weighed heavily on Pakistan’s strained budget.

Last month, five consortiums submitted expressions of interest for a 51–100 percent stake in PIA after the government restructured its balance sheet to make the deal more attractive. It also scrapped the sales tax on leased aircraft and is providing limited protection from legal and tax claims. Around 80 percent of the airline’s debt has been transferred to the state.

ROOSEVELT HOTEL

Separately, the CCOP approved the transaction structure for Roosevelt Hotel under a “Joint Venture model with multiple options.”

“This option is aimed at maximizing long-term value for the country, while ensuring flexibility, multiple exit opportunities, and minimizing future fiscal exposure,” the privatization commission said.

How much money the hotel ultimately brings in, and its overall valuation, depends on the type of transaction structure adopted, Privatization Commission Chairman Muhammad Ali told Arab News in an interview last month. If the government formed a joint venture with a private investor, sharing both the risks and future profits, the hotel could be worth four to five times more than its as-is valuation, he said at the time.

“So, depending on what sort of structure you have, how much risk you take, how much effort the government puts in, we can make a lot of money from this asset,” the privatization chief had said.

The Roosevelt, a 1,015-room historic hotel in Midtown Manhattan, has long been one of Pakistan’s most prominent but politically sensitive overseas assets. Acquired by Pakistan International Airlines Investment Limited (PIAIL) in 1979, the hotel occupies a full city block on Madison Avenue and 45th Street. Over the past two decades, successive Pakistani governments have floated plans to sell, lease, or redevelop the property, but no proposal has advanced beyond early-stage planning.

Operations at the Roosevelt were suspended in 2020 following steep financial losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2023, Pakistan entered a short-term lease with the City of New York to use the property as a temporary shelter for asylum seekers, generating more than $220 million in projected rental income. That agreement ended in 2024 and no new revenue stream has since been announced.

The Roosevelt Hotel is one of several state assets the government hopes will contribute to its target of raising Rs86 billion ($306 million) in privatization proceeds during the fiscal year starting July 1, alongside the sale of PIA and three electricity distribution companies.