Category: 1. Pakistan

Imran Khan, the incarcerated leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has called on his party members to set aside internal differences and focus on the movement planned for August 5, marking the anniversary of his arrest.

He expressed concern that there is currently no meaningful momentum behind the initiative and warned that party unity is vital at this crucial juncture. In a message released from Adiala Jail on Thursday, Khan addressed the PTI, emphasising the importance of unity.

“Let me make this absolutely clear, every member of the party must immediately set aside all internal differences and focus solely on the movement planned for August 5th. I do not see any meaningful momentum building behind this initiative at present. I am waging a battle against a 78-year-old system, and my greatest success is that despite unprecedented oppression, the public stands firmly with me,” he stated.

Khan recalled the February 8 elections, when the people of Pakistan expressed their trust in PTI despite the party’s lack of an electoral symbol.

“After such a clear mandate, it is the moral and political responsibility of every party member to become the voice of the people. It will be nothing short of disgraceful and condemnable if PTI leaders waste time on internal conflicts at this critical juncture,” he said.

He issued a stern warning to party members against engaging in factionalism, calling such actions a betrayal of his mission. “Anyone found engaging in factionalism within the party will be expelled. I am fighting for the future of our generations, and every sacrifice I make is for that cause. To create rifts within the party at this time would be a direct betrayal of my mission and vision,” Khan emphasised.

Read More: PTI faces internal rift over August 5 protest plans

In a scathing critique of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, Khan accused the government of using the amendment as a tool to cripple Pakistan’s judiciary. He decried the recent decisions made by biased judges.

“The so-called government formed through Form 47 has crippled the judiciary through the 26th Constitutional Amendment. The way biased judges are now delivering blatantly unjust verdicts under these courts is visible to the entire nation. We must launch a robust campaign to liberate the judiciary, for no nation can survive, let alone progress, without judicial independence,” he stated.

Khan also highlighted the treatment he has faced during his imprisonment, comparing his harsh conditions to the treatment given to other political leaders.

“Never in the history of Pakistan has any political leader been subjected to the treatment that I am currently enduring. Nawaz Sharif committed corruption worth billions and was nevertheless granted every possible comfort in prison,” he said. He also noted the inhumane treatment of his wife, Bushra Bibi, who has been imprisoned under harsh conditions.

Also Read: PTI slams May 9 ruling as bid to disrupt August 5 rally

In his message, Khan detailed the numerous hardships he faces in prison, describing the conditions as oppressive. “I am enduring the harshest prison term in the country’s history solely for the supremacy of the Constitution and in service of my nation. The level of oppression and authoritarianism is such that even the water I have for ablution is filthy and contaminated with dirt, unfit for any human being. Books sent to me by my family have been withheld for months. Access to television and newspapers has also been suspended,” he said.

Khan further expressed frustration over the violation of his basic human rights. “All my basic human rights have been violated. Even the minimum facilities accorded to ordinary prisoners under the law and the jail manual are denied to me. Despite repeated requests, I have not been allowed to speak to my children. Political meetings have also been restricted; I am only permitted to meet certain ‘choice individuals’, while all other interactions are barred,” he added.

• Infertility no ground to deny women dower or maintenance, rules SC.
• Court calls out husband for challenging wife’s womanhood.
• SC slaps Rs500,000 fine on husband over his conduct.
  

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ISLAMABAD: In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday declared the denial of dowry or maintenance to a woman on the grounds of infertility illegal.

The apex court delivered a scathing condemnation of the “sorrowful” practice of using infertility, or even the suspicion of it, as a weapon against women in legal proceedings.

The ruling was delivered by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi, who, while heading a two-judge bench, lamented that this “social practice routinely results in courts of law becoming venues for humiliating a woman under the guise of litigation.”

The remarks came during the hearing of a petition filed by Saleh Muhammad against a Peshawar High Court (PHC) judgment from March 3, 2025, concerning dower claims, dowry articles, and maintenance of his estranged wife, Mehnaz Begum.

“This court cannot but record in the strongest possible terms its disapproval of the manner in which the respondent – a woman already abandoned, denied maintenance, and left to the mercy of litigation – was subjected to repeated, invasive, and demeaning scrutiny of her very personhood at the behest of a frivolous and cruel defence,” said the order.

Detailing the respondent’s ordeal, the apex court had highlighted that after their marriage in 2006, Mehnaz was subjected to physical abuse by Saleh, and she was abandoned by him at her parental home in 2007.

Saleh then went abroad, cut off all communication, and refused to provide maintenance. Three years later, he remarried and now has two children with his second wife.

Left with no other choice after being denied her rights to dowry and maintenance by Saleh, Mehnaz initiated legal proceedings in 2015 to recover her dower, dowry articles, and maintenance. 

However, instead of offering a credible defence, the petitioner — her husband — launched a distressing campaign, alleging his first wife was “medically unfit for conjugal duties or to bear children,” thereby questioning her “status as a ‘female’ under the law.” These claims were ultimately refuted by medical tests.

The SC noted its “troubling concern” over how this “allegation, targeting the identity of the respondent” was pursued “persistently and aggressively through three tiers of judicial scrutiny.”

The court highlighted that this subjected Mehnaz to “profound personal humiliation,” especially since all forums had already refuted the husband’s baseless claims.

In the seven-page order, the judges unequivocally asserted that “infertility, even if present, was no ground to deny a woman her dower or maintenance” and it was “certainly no ground to challenge her womanhood.”

The order further stressed that “to convert such personal pain into a legal weapon is not only an abuse of the process, but an affront to human dignity that should not be enabled.” It also invoked religious and cultural values, reminding litigants that the marital bond is a “sacred covenant” and that the ideals of protection, mutual respect, and dignity in marriage must not be compromised in any event.”

“Lest we forget: women in our society constitute a vulnerable group, whose dignity requires vigilant protection and care,” the order observed, emphasising the judiciary’s role.

The two-member bench underscored that courts could not, and would not, “be passive venues for the perpetuation of social prejudices that harm women and subject them to one trauma after the other.” 

The order added that it is a “constitutional and moral obligation” to safeguard the personal dignity of all who appear before the courts, “particularly where the power imbalance between the parties is so manifest.”

The court found that the petitioner not only “wasted judicial time” but also “caused a woman already in a position of vulnerability to suffer degradation and personal trauma over the course of protracted litigation in three forums spread over a decade.”

Consequently, the SC dismissed Saleh’s petition and imposed a Rs500,000 fine, which is payable to Mehnaz and serves as a “strong disapproval for the petitioner’s conduct”.

Furthermore, the judges expressed hope that this order would serve as a “reminder to all litigants and counsel that the dignity of every individual, particularly of women, must be respected in all judicial proceedings,” reiterating that “frivolous allegations attacking the personal identity and dignity of a woman will not be countenanced in any court of law.”

KARACHI:

A double-cabin vehicle overturned and sank into the sea at Sea View on Wednesday night. Rescue 1122 teams reached the site and pulled the vehicle out of the water. The vehicle belonged to Mehran Soomro, a resident of Safoora, Scheme 33.

According to Boat Basin SHO Muhammad Riaz Niazi, Mehran Soomro had visited Sea View with his family during the night between Wednesday and Thursday. He drove the vehicle close to the shoreline, where rising tides and strong waves caused it to submerge and flip over.

During the recovery operation, a Rescue 1122 team member sustained minor injuries when a rope snapped while towing the vehicle. The vehicle was damaged; however, all occupants remained unharmed. Police are investigating the incident.

Incarcerated PTI founder and ex-prime minister Imran Khan has decried the lack of any “meaningful momentum” for the party’s planned August 5 protest and ordered its members to immediately shun all their differences.

Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023. He has issued a nationwide protest call, which will reach its “peak” on Aug 5 to mark the second year of his incarceration in multiple cases.

However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur appeared to disrupt the nationwide protest plans and sow confusion by introducing a new 90-day timeline for what he described as ‘a final push’. PTI Punjab chief organiser Aliya Hamza Malik later voiced her reservations about his announcement.

The resulting discord in the party leadership and ranks had prompted Imran to prohibit his party members from publicly discussing the party’s internal matters.

In a post today on his X account — which is not operated by Imran himself — a message said to be sent on his behalf stated: “Let me make this absolutely clear: every member of the party must immediately set aside all internal differences and focus solely on the movement planned for August 5th. I do not see any meaningful momentum building behind this initiative at present. I am waging a battle against a 78-year-old system, and my greatest success is that despite unprecedented oppression, the public stands firmly with me.”

The message said the people had expressed their trust in the PTI by voting for it in the general elections, even in the absence of an electoral symbol.

“After such a clear mandate, it is the moral and political responsibility of every party member to become the voice of the people. It will be nothing short of disgraceful and condemnable if PTI leaders waste time on internal conflicts at this critical juncture.

“Anyone found engaging in factionalism within the party will be expelled. I am fighting for the future of our generations and every sacrifice I make is for that cause. To create rifts within the party at this time would be a direct betrayal of my mission and vision,” the message warned.

Lashing out at the government, the message said it had “crippled the judiciary” through the 26th Constitutional Amendment.

“The way biased judges are now delivering blatantly unjust verdicts under these courts is visible to the entire nation. We must launch a robust campaign to liberate the judiciary, for no nation can survive, let alone progress, without judicial independence.”

The message claimed “inhumane conditions” were being imposed upon Imran’s spouse and former first lady Bushra Bibi while the PTI founder’s conditions were themselves not good.

“I am enduring the harshest prison term in the country’s history solely for the supremacy of the Constitution and in service of my nation. The level of oppression and authoritarianism is such that even the water I have for ablution is filthy and contaminated with dirt, unfit for any human being.”

Separately, a post from PTI’s central deputy information secretary said the nationwide protest would be led under the banner of the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP).

“All provincial organisations will follow their respective plans of action based on their circumstances.”

Addressing a press conference with other TTAP leaders, Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said the first step of the protest movement would be an all-party conference in Islamabad on July 31 and the decisions taken then would shape the future plan of action.

Imran’s sons continue US engagements

Meanwhile, Imran’s sons continued their engagements in the United States, where they currently are before visiting Pakistan for their father.

They met Republican Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina who had introduced a bipartisan bill in the US House of Representatives in March, calling for sanctions on Pakistani state functionaries over alleged human rights violations, including the “persecution” of their father.

They also met US Congressman Brad Sherman.

“I am concerned to hear that Khan remains isolated from his family, friends, attorneys and doctors. His sons also shared that his physical health may be deteriorating. The people of Pakistan deserve to have their leaders be treated fairly under the law,” he said in a post on X about the meeting.