- UN rights chief condemns Israeli strike in Doha as assault on regional stability Reuters
- Final Communique Issued by Arab-Islamic Emergency Summit in Doha qna.org.qa
- GCC to activate defence mechanism; Doha summit slams Israel’s Qatar attack Al Jazeera
- Netanyahu refuses to rule out further strikes on Hamas leaders BBC
- Arab, Muslim leaders urge review of Israel ties after Qatar attack Dawn
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UN rights chief condemns Israeli strike in Doha as assault on regional stability – Reuters
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Pope Leo recalls late Duchess of Kent’s ‘legacy of Christian goodness’
Pope Leo XIV sends his condolences for the death of Britain’s Duchess Katharine of Kent, recalling her “legacy of Christian goodness” and entrusting “her noble soul to the mercy of our Heavenly Father.”
By Deborah Castellano Lubov
In a message to King Charles, Pope Leo XIV has expressed his closeness to the Royal Family for the loss of Britain’s Duchess of Kent.
In the telegram sent on Tuesday to Buckingham Palace, the Holy Father said he was saddened to learn of the death of Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Kent.
“I send heartfelt condolences, together with the assurance of my prayerful closeness, to Your Majesty, the members of the Royal Family, and especially to her husband, the Duke of Kent, and their children and grandchildren at this time of sorrow,” wrote the Pope.
Pope Leo entrusted the soul of the late Catholic Duchess, whose funeral Mass was held on Tuesday at Westminster Cathedral and was celebrated by Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster.
“Entrusting her noble soul to the mercy of our Heavenly Father,” reassured the Pope, “I readily associate myself with all those offering thanksgiving to Almighty God for the Duchess’s legacy of Christian goodness, seen in her many years of dedication to official duties, patronage of charities, and devoted care for vulnerable people in society.”
“To all who mourn her loss, in the sure hope of the Resurrection,” concluded Pope Leo XIV, “I willingly impart my apostolic blessing as a pledge of consolation and peace in the Risen Lord.”
Born Katharine Worsley, she joined the Royal Family when she married Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, a cousin of the late Queen Elizabeth.
The Duchess converted to Catholicism in 1994, becoming the first senior member of the British Royal Family to do so openly since the 18th century.
Her Requiem Mass at Westminster Cathedral marked the first royal funeral to take place at the principal Catholic church in England and Wales.
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Check Point Acquires Lakera to Deliver End-to-End AI Security for Enterprises
Check Point® Software Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: CHKP), a pioneer and global leader of cyber security solutions, today announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Lakera, one of the world’s leading AI-native security platforms for Agentic AI applications. With this acquisition, Check Point sets a new standard in cyber security, becoming able to deliver a full end-to-end AI security stack designed to protect enterprises as they accelerate their AI journey.
“AI is transforming every business process, but it also introduces new attack surfaces,” said Nadav Zafrir, CEO at Check Point Software Technologies. “We chose Lakera because it brings AI-native security, superior precision, and speed at scale. Together we are setting the benchmark for how enterprises adopt and trust AI.”
Enterprises are rapidly embedding large language models, generative AI, and autonomous agents into core workflows. This accelerates innovation but also expands the attack surface, from data exposure and model manipulation to risks introduced by multi-agent collaboration and autonomous decision-making. As data becomes the new executable and the Internet of Agents takes shape, real-time AI-native security has become a business imperative.
Check Point already secures this transformation through GenAI Protect, SaaS and API security, advanced data loss prevention, and machine learning-powered defenses for applications, cloud, and endpoints. With Lakera, Check Point extends these capabilities to deliver one of the industry’s first end-to-end AI security stack. By combining Lakera’s runtime protection with the AI-powered Check Point Infinity architecture, enterprises can secure the full lifecycle of AI – models, agents and data – enabling them to innovate with confidence, at scale, and without compromise.
“Lakera was purpose-built for the AI era, with real-time runtime security and research at its core,” said David Haber, Co-Founder and CEO at Lakera. “Joining Check Point allows us to accelerate and scale our mission globally. Together we will protect LLMs, generative AI, and agents with the speed, accuracy, and guardrails enterprises need to embrace AI with confidence.”
Founded by AI experts from Google and Meta, Lakera was engineered specifically for AI-native environments. The company operates major AI R&D centers in Zurich and San Francisco. Its flagship solutions, Lakera Red and Lakera Guard, provide pre-deployment posture assessments and real-time runtime enforcement to protect LLMs, AI agents, and multimodal workflows. Lakera’s platform combines advanced runtime protection with continuous red teaming, reinforced by Gandalf, a worldwide leader of adversarial AI network. This unique approach ensures evolving defenses that stay ahead of emerging AI threats, giving enterprises confidence to deploy AI securely and at scale. Lakera is trusted by Fortune 500 enterprises worldwide and powered by a team of 11 PhDs, ensuring both technical rigor and enterprise-grade resilience.
Key strengths of the Lakera platform:
- AI-native protection: Built for AI from the start, Lakera secures LLMs, generative AI, and agents across prompts, RAG, and MCP, providing real-time defenses against prompt injection, data leakage, and model manipulation.
- Proven performance at scale: Delivers detection rates above 98 percent with sub-50ms latency and false positives below 0.5 percent, ensuring enterprises can protect AI-driven workloads without impacting speed or accuracy.
- Continuous intelligence: Powered by Gandalf’s 80 million-plus adversarial patterns and guided by a dedicated AI research team, Lakera’s platform adapts constantly to emerging AI threats.
- Global coverage: Supports more than 100 languages, enabling protection for enterprises around the globe
Upon closing, Lakera will form the foundation of Check Point’s Global Center of Excellence for AI Security, accelerating AI security research, innovation, and integration across the Check Point Infinity Platform, establishing Check Point as a global leader in securing the AI-powered enterprise and shaping the future of AI security.
The transaction is expected to close in Q4 2025, subject to customary closing conditions.
Follow Check Point Software via:
X (Formerly known as Twitter): https://www.twitter.com/checkpointsw
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/checkpointsoftware
Blog: https://blog.checkpoint.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CPGlobal
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/check-point-software-technologiesAbout Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (www.checkpoint.com) is a leading AI-powered, cloud-delivered cyber security platform provider protecting over 100,000 organizations worldwide. Check Point leverages the power of AI everywhere to enhance cyber security efficiency and accuracy through its Infinity Platform, with industry-leading catch rates enabling proactive threat anticipation and smarter, faster response times. The comprehensive platform includes cloud-delivered technologies consisting of Check Point Harmony to secure the workspace, Check Point CloudGuard to secure the cloud, Check Point Quantum to secure the network, and Check Point Infinity Core Services for collaborative security operations and services.About Lakera
Lakera a world’s leading AI-native security platform for Agentic AI applications, protecting Fortune 500 enterprises and leading technology companies from the emerging AI cyber risks. Lakera’s defenses evolve in real-time to protect enterprises from emerging threats thanks to Gandalf, a world leading red teaming community, and their proprietary AI. Lakera was founded by David Haber, Dr Mateo Rojas-Carulla and Dr Matthias Kraft in 2021, and is dual-headquartered in Zurich and San Francisco. To learn more, visit Lakera.ai, play Gandalf, and Gandalf:Agent Breake, and connect with us on LinkedIn.Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements related to our expectations regarding our products and solutions and Lakera’s products and solutions, our ability to leverage Lakera’s capabilities and integrate them into Check Point, our ability to deliver end-to-end AI security stack, our foundation of the new Check Point’s Global Center of Excellence for AI Security, and the consummation of the acquisition. Our expectations and beliefs regarding these matters may not materialize, and actual results or events in the future are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to other risks and uncertainties, including those more fully described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 17, 2025. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Check Point as of the date hereof, and Check Point disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking state
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Retail sales up 0.6% in August from July even as tariffs lead to price hikes
Shoppers increased their spending at a better-than-expected pace in August from July, helped by back-to-school purchases, even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs are starting to hurt the job market and lead to price hikes
NEW YORK — Shoppers increased their spending at a better-than-expected pace in August from July, helped by back-to-school purchases, even as President Donald Trump’s tariffs are starting to hurt the job market and lead to price hikes.
Retail sales rose 0.6% last month from July, when sales were up a revised 0.6%, according to the Commerce Department’s report.
The performance, announced Tuesday, was also likely helped by the continued efforts by Americans to keep pushing up purchases ahead of expected price increases. Moreover, higher prices could be bolstering the number as well.
The increases followed two straight months of spending declines in April and May.
Excluding auto sales, which have been volatile since Trump imposed tariffs on many foreign-made cars, retail sales rose 0.7% in August.
The data showed solid spending across various stores. Business at electronics and appliance stores up 0.3%, while online retailers had a 2% increase. Business at restaurants rose 0.7%.
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Smart or stupid? Pakistan team boycott presser before Asia Cup UAE clash
The Pakistani team isn’t happy at all, after the Indian team refused to shake hands with them.
The Pakistan cricket team is defiant in it’s stand against, what transpired on the field after their Asia Cup clash against India on Sunday. The team lodged a protest against the Indians not shaking hands, that left them red-faced. As a result they demanded the removal of ICC match referee Andy Pycroft.
No PC for Pakistan?
After there was no suitable response, the Salman Ali Agha-led side has pulled off yet another stunt. They cancelled their press conference on the eve of the match. As per various reports from journalists present in Dubai, the Pakistani team is training in Dubai, but refused to attend the PC, that was supposed to take place at 21.30 PM IST.
Even though there is clarity that the team will participate in Wednesday’s match.
Will PAK vs UAE Happen?
Salman Ali had boycotted the PC, and coach Hesson had to attend for him, after the India match as well. As per estimates, if the Pakistani team harboured any hopes of boycotting the UAE match, it would have been a costly affair for them. They would lose out on 7% revenue, which turns out to be $12 to $16 million in revenue.
Further, they might also lose out on their share of ACC funds, after backlash from broadcasters and sponsors. As far as their match vs India is concerned, they were poor throughout and were restricted to only 127. Post that, India went on to win by seven wickets.
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World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025: Botswana’s Busang Collen Kebinatshipi into men’s 400m final with world lead
Busang Collen Kebinatshipi threw down the gauntlet and a world lead of 43.61 to qualify tops for the men’s 400m final at the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 on Tuesday (16 September).
The 21-year-old from Botswana emerged from a strong group including Jereem Richards (44.12) and Jacory Patterson (44.19) who advanced on the strength of their times.
Olympic champion Quincy Wilson is not part of the competition because of a hamstring injury.
The top two from each of the three semi-final heats plus the two fastest times qualified for the final.
More to follow…
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What’s on at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Racing, Fanzone fun and live concerts in Baku
From 19-21 September, Formula 1 returns to Baku with a packed weekend of racing, joined by Formula 2 on the support card. Qualifying runs on Saturday before the Grand Prix takes centre stage on Sunday.
Away from the track, the Fanzone will be abuzz with simulators, pit stop challenges, driver appearances, live shows and more. The nights light up at Crystal Hall, with Anyma on Friday and Glass Animals and Martin Garrix performing on Saturday.
Food and drink flow throughout the circuit, from quick bites in the Fanzone to curated dining in premium hospitality, ensuring fans can savour Baku alongside the racing.
Racing schedule
Friday 19 September
10:00-10:45 Formula 2: Practice
13:30-14:30 Formula 1: Free Practice 1
14:00-14:30 Formula 2: Qualifying
16:00-17:00 Formula 1: Free Practice 2Saturday 20 September
12:30-13:30 Formula 1: Free Practice 3
14:15-15:05 Formula 2: Sprint Race
16:00-17:00 Formula 1: QualifyingSunday 21 September
11:00-12:05 Formula 2: Feature Race
14:44-14:46 National Anthem
15:00-17:00 Formula 1: Azerbaijan Grand PrixLive entertainment
Across the weekend the energy goes beyond the track, with international DJs, live bands, and exclusive driver appearances lighting up the Fanzone. The entertainment kicks off on Friday, when the stage and activations open free to the public ahead of race day.
Fans can expect a mix of global names and local talent, from high-energy sets by DJ Tim, DJ AX and DJ Vugarixx to live performances from bands like Excellent Band and Mardan Band. Add in appearances from all 10 F1 teams across the stage, and the Fanzone becomes the heartbeat of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix experience.
Friday 19 September
10:30-11:15 DJ Tim (electronic/club)
10:45-10:55 Driver Appearance – Racing Bulls
10:55-11:05 Driver Appearance – McLaren
11:05-11:15 Driver Appearance – Williams
11:15-11:25 Driver Appearance – Kick Sauber & Aston Martin
11:20-11:25 Odlar Yurdu (traditional Azerbaijani)
11:25-12:00 DJ Pancho (deep house)
15:00-15:30 Excellent Band (pop-rock covers)
15:30-15:55 Jabbawockeez / DJ Tim (dance crew / electronic)
17:05-17:35 Mardan Band (folk-fusion/jazz)
18:45-19:15 Excellent Band (pop-rock covers)
19:15-20:15 DJ Stasy (house/EDM)
20:15-21:00 DJ AX (house)Saturday 20 September
10:00-11:20 DJ Tim (electronic/club)
10:25-10:35 Driver Appearance – Red Bull
10:35-10:45 Driver Appearance – Haas
10:45-10:55 Driver Appearance – Alpine
10:55-11:05 Driver Appearance – Mercedes
11:05-11:15 Driver Appearance – Ferrari
11:45-12:30 DJ Nicolas Mun (tech house)
13:35-14:05 Excellent Band (pop-rock covers)
15:05-15:30 DJ Tim (electronic/club)
15:30-16:00 DJ Vugarixx (electro/EDM)
17:05-17:35 Mardan Band (folk-fusion/jazz)
17:45-17:50 Jabbawockeez (dance crew)
18:25-18:55 Excellent Band (pop-rock covers)
19:30-20:30 DJ Pancho (house)
20:30-22:00 DJ AX (house)Sunday 21 September
13:35-13:40 Odlar Yurdu (traditional Azerbaijani)
13:40-14:30 DJ Stasy (house/EDM)
17:05-17:35 Excellent Band (pop-rock covers)
18:15-18:45 Mardan Band (folk-fusion/jazz)
18:45-18:50 Amarok (folk-rock)
18:50-19:30 Jabbawockeez / DJ Tim (dance crew / electronic)
20:00-20:40 DJ Nicolas Mun (tech house)
20:40-22:00 DJ Vugarixx (electro/EDM)Concerts
When the chequered flag falls, the action shifts to Baku Crystal Hall, where headline concerts light up the nights after the track programme. Access is included with four-day tickets at no extra charge. Just bring your valid weekend ticket or wristband. Entry is first-come, first-served and subject to capacity and security checks.
2025 Line-up
- Friday 19 September – Anyma (melodic techno)
- Saturday 20 September – Martin Garrix (EDM superstar) & Glass Animals (indie pop/rock)
Fanzone highlights
Set along the Seafront Boulevard, the Baku Fanzone is the hub of off-track action all weekend.
- LEGO Pit Shop: Explore the full LEGO F1 range, from Speed Champions and City to DUPLO® and Collectibles.
- F1 Sim Racing: Take on the F1 24 game in cutting-edge simulators that replicate the thrill of driving an F1 car.
- Pit Stop Challenge: Test your skills as a mechanic and race the clock with a tyre change on an F1 show car.
- Driver Selfie Station: Snap a digital or printed photo with your favourite drivers and team principals.
- DJ Podium: Step up and celebrate like a race winner on the top step of the podium.
- Show Car – Net Zero 2030: See the sustainability-branded F1 show car and learn about the sport’s ESG initiatives.
- This is F1 4D: Immerse yourself in a short, cinematic live show capturing the full drama of Formula 1.
- FIA Championship Trophy: Get up close with the iconic silverware lifted by generations of champions.
- Blast Lane: Stand in a wind tunnel at full speed and have your reaction captured on camera.
- Virtual Pit Tours: Use AR to step inside the Oracle Red Bull Racing garage and see the team in action.
Food & drinks
From quick bites to sit-down meals, the Baku Fanzone serves up plenty of options to keep you fuelled across the weekend. Grab regional specialties alongside international favourites like pizza, hotdogs, ice cream, and vegan dishes, or cool off with soft drinks and treats between sessions.
Bars dotted throughout the Fanzone offer alcoholic beverages, while nearby restaurants showcase the best of Azerbaijani cuisine for those looking for a taste of local flavour. Most outlets accept both cash and card, making it easy to eat and drink your way through race weekend.
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Samsung Refreshes Citi Field’s Iconic Coca-Cola Sign with an LED Update
Display
Samsung and the New York Mets help fans ‘Enjoy the Moment’ by upgrading the outfield Coca-Cola sign with bright, LED-powered technology
9/16/2025
Samsung Electronics America continues its multi-year partnership with the New York Mets by installing a major update to one of Citi Field’s most recognizable features: the stadium’s Coca-Cola sign overlooking right field.
The upgraded Coca-Cola sign features 22,117 vibrant pixels capable of reaching 3,000 nits of brightness. It joins more than 1,300 LCD displays throughout the park, digital ribbon boards circling the seating bowl and the stadium’s crown jewel — its dual-sided, LED-powered centerfield scoreboard that spans 24,300 square feet. Since partnering in 2021, Samsung and the Mets have transformed Citi Field into a showcase of next-generation fan experiences and display technology. From live game action, 4K instant replays and player stats on the main scoreboard, to real-time updates on ribbon boards and Direct View LED displays in the concourses, the integrated network of displays creates a visually immersive ballpark environment and amplifies the energy on game day, making Citi Field the most technologically advanced ballpark in professional baseball.
“Our long-standing partnership with the Mets is built on using technology to enhance every aspect of the game-day experience,” said David Phelps, Head of the Display Division, Samsung Electronics America. “The elevated Coca-Cola sign combines advanced LED performance with precision design, ensuring it stands out as an iconic landmark and complements the state-of-the-art digital displays throughout Citi Field. As fans ‘Share a Coke’ in the stands, they can also share brighter, more memorable moments at the ballpark.”
Samsung repainted the structure and outline of the sign and worked with Coca-Cola to match its exact shade of iconic red. The IP66-rated display is dust-tight, protected against heavy rain and built to remain clearly visible in virtually any weather or lighting conditions. The latest updates also allow for easier servicing, keeping the sign game-day ready. Live event and video production leader Ross Video is producing new digital content for the Coca-Cola sign, which the Mets can manage directly from its Samsung-powered 4K control room.
“Together with Samsung, we have continued to transform and enhance the fan experience at Citi Field by delivering cutting-edge technology throughout the ballpark,” said Oscar Fernandez, Senior Vice President of Technology, New York Mets. “Integrating advanced LED-powered technology into the iconic Coca-Cola sign is just the next step to remain on the cutting edge of in-stadium advancements and will create yet another vibrant fixture in our ballpark.”
The LED signage sits above Coca-Cola Corner, a 9,000-square-foot fan area atop the right-field seating deck. The space features full concessions, bar setups, interactive games and panoramic views of the field and scoreboard. Its elevated position and vivid Coca-Cola logo make it a signature element of the ballpark, visible to fans inside Citi Field and to those watching at home.
To learn more about the Citi Field fan experience powered by Samsung display technology, read the case study here. insights.samsung.com/2024/10/17/the-ny-mets-and-samsung-reinvent-the-fan-experience-at-Citi-Field/
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HS, Atopic Dermatitis Result in Accelerated Epigenetic Aging Among Patients
Chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as pediatric atopic dermatitis and hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are linked with accelerated epigenetic aging among patients, new data suggest, although results vary by disease and additional standardized research is needed.1
A review highlighting epigenetic clocks or biomarkers that allow for different insights into the systemic impacts of chronic inflammatory diseases such as HS and atopic dermatitis. The data included in this review resulted from an analysis by investigators such as Ajay S. Dulai, MBBS, from Integrative Skin Science and Research in Sacramento, California.
Dulai and coauthors highlighted that epigenetic clocks can be classified into those that are intrinsic and those that are extrinsic. Intrinsic clocks, they noted, rely only on methylation changes, whereas extrinsic clocks involve immune cell composition as part of their algorithm.2
“The application of epigenetic clocks provides valuable insights into the systemic effects of chronic inflammatory diseases,” Dulai and colleagues wrote.1 “These clocks may serve as potential biomarkers of both inflammation and the factors that may control inflammation in the future. This review aims to summarize published studies that have identified variations in epigenetic aging in individuals with chronic dermatological conditions.”
Review Details and Findings
The investigators’ review looked specifically at human studies evaluating patients’ epigenetic ages in relation to dermatological conditions such as HS and atopic dermatitis. They only deemed English-language manuscripts as eligible, excluding non-English publications from their search of available databases. These databases included Embase, PubMed, and Web of Science
All of Dulai et al’s search results were imported into Rayyan to streamline their selection of literature. Titles and abstracts were initially screened independently by a set of reviewers. Data deemed relevant according to criteria for eligibility were advanced to a full-text review and, when disagreements took place in this process, they were settled by reevaluating the full-text manuscripts to attain a consensus.
Later, data extraction was conducted and the findings assessed by Dulai and colleagues were organized. Information collected from each study included the type of dermatological condition under investigation, principal findings, the epigenetic clock employed, sources of tissue samples, and number of study participants. There were 2 commonly implemented measures of epigenetic aging: AgeDiff and Aging Ratio.
AgeDiff represents the absolute gap, assessed in years, between an individual’s epigenetic age and their chronological age. A positive AgeDiff would suggest an accelerated biological aging process, meaning the body appears older than their true chronological age. Conversely, a negative AgeDiff would indicate slowed or decelerated aging, where the biological profile is younger than the person’s chronological age.
The Aging Ratio expresses this relationship as a percentage, illustrating the relative pace of aging throughout one’s lifetime. A positive ratio would point to faster-than-expected aging, whereas a negative value points to slower biological aging. Given the heterogeneity the investigative team noted among these studies, a meta-analysis could not be conducted. The authors noted, however, that such an analysis may become feasible once more standardized research and consistent methodologies are available.
Ultimately, there were 6 studies that the investigative team found met the inclusion criteria. These comprised 4 investigating psoriasis, 1 assessing atopic dermatitis, and 1 focusing on HS. Based on the Oxford Levels of Evidence, 4 of these studies were determined to be level 4 evidence, 1 as level 5, and 1 as level 3. The findings varied by condition. In those with psoriasis, individuals with concomitant psoriatic arthritis, but not psoriasis alone, were noted by the team to have significantly accelerated epigenetic aging compared with controls. In atopic dermatitis, pediatric patients displayed evidence of increased biological aging, measured across several clock models, including the Horvath, Skin and Blood, PhenoAge, and GrimAge clocks. Among those with HS, subjects exhibited elevated biological age when tissue samples were collected from impacted skin regions.
Collectively, these results suggest a potential link between chronic inflammatory skin diseases and accelerated biological aging, although the pattern differs by condition and disease context.
The review emphasized the need for further studies to clarify the relationship between disease severity and measures of epigenetic aging. Expanding investigations into a broader range of skin disorders could help identify shared pathways between inflammation, aging, and dermatological health. Additionally, there is a need for refinement of epigenetic clocks to capture inflammatory signatures more accurately and to integrate skin-specific biomarkers. Such tools would improve the precision of biological age estimation in chronic skin conditions and potentially provide insights into long-term disease burden.
“Future work is needed to correlate epigenetic aging with dermatological disease severity and treatment outcomes,” they concluded.1 “Additionally, this review highlights the need for developing skin-specific methylation clocks, which can be trained on validated markers of skin aging and biophysical functionality.”
References
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AS Dulai, A Joshi, M Min, et al. Systematic Review of Accelerated Epigenetic Aging in Chronic Inflammatory Dermatology Conditions. International Journal of Dermatology (2025): 1–8,
https://doi.org/10.1111/ijd.70055 . -
Beynon RA, Ingle SM, Richmond RC, et al. Epigenetic biomarkers of ageing are predictive of mortality risk in a longitudinal clinical cohort of individuals diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer. Clin Epigenetics. 2022 Jan 3;14(1):1. doi: 10.1186/s13148-021-01220-4. PMID: 34980250; PMCID: PMC8725548.
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The words of the Chief Justice – Pakistan
A court meant to defend rights instead shielded power — and in doing so, revealed how fragile our freedom truly is.
In 1817, Chief Justice John Marshall, one of America’s founding fathers, delivered what is often called the shortest judgment in judicial history: “The United States never pays costs.” This was the entirety of a unanimous majority decision in the Supreme Court case of United States v. Barker. Six words settled a complex question of law that had gone unanswered for twenty years, and solidified jurisprudence on sovereign immunity with clarity and precision.
Exactly 208 years later, the unthinkable happened. In a judgment authored by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled on the case of a journalist restricted from leaving the country with the following: “Office objection is sustained”. Move over Justice Marshall, that looks like four words and a newly broken world record to me.
Pakistan: 1, USA: 0.
A stunning upset like this must be exactly the kind of judicial achievement the framers of the 26th Amendment dreamed of. So where are the balloons, the mass media coverage, the celebrations on the streets? Why is it only this writer who’s publicly noticed an achievement so grand?
Well, it might have something to do with the difference between these two judgments. Brevity is the soul of wit, and that Shakespearean adage applies to both. But while the former sought to push the limits of how much you could accomplish with how few words, the latter took a different approach, by not seeking to accomplish anything at all.
When courts shield power, not people
For context, the journalist, Asad Ali Toor, had approached the court after he was stopped at an airport and prevented from leaving the country to attend a training program. He had been placed on the “Provisional National Identification List”, which exists under a 2018 standing order for the purposes of preventing fugitives of ‘heinous crimes’, like rape, murder, or terrorism, from fleeing abroad.
The only ‘heinous’ crime Toor has ever been accused of is irritating some very powerful people. Regardless, his name was on the list; he was not told this fact until he was packed up and ready to board his flight, and someone in a very high office likely took great pleasure in the deliberate act of causing him pain.
Courts exist for the precise purpose of shielding regular citizens from thuggery like this. What happened to Toor was illegal in at least a dozen different ways: he was not even accused of anything that merited inclusion in the PNIL; no reasoning or show-cause notice was given; the Courts have consistently held that one must be informed when placed on such a list; an accused must be given the right to appeal; the Constitution guarantees freedom of movement; and the list goes on and on. Toor has a history of being targeted and punished for his journalism (even the people who sold him his parrots were not spared), and this cannot be ignored when judging his present mistreatment.
For a case like this to land before a judge is a ripe and easy opportunity to affirm that justice is not dead in this country — that some loose cog in our very large government machinery cannot arbitrarily decide that it does not like you, and therefore you must deal with a certain amount of misery as a prerequisite to your existence here. Confronted with a situation so transparently unjust, a judge has the chance to deliver a comprehensive verdict that strengthens individual liberties and at least attempts to ensure that no citizen of this country ever goes through such an indignity again.
Justice Babar Sattar of this same court did just that in his excellent judgment on illegal phone tapping. If the chief justice so desired, he could have affirmed and strengthened the constitutional right to free movement in a way that made Pakistan a better place, with a stronger rule of law, for all of us.
Instead, we got the world’s shortest judgment. Toor had been told by the registrar’s office that, before he comes to court, he must first go to the government department that is visibly intent on making his life miserable. The office objection was sustained. The training program went on without him. Now, it could happen to you, too. Whether you love him or hate him, agree with his opinions or not, or even know who he is, Toor has unravelled the extent of all our freedoms, and their lack thereof. For now, they’re worth a grand total of four words.
Later, though, we got more words from the chief justice.
Misogyny, misconduct and the language of the law
In another case about the freedom to leave the country, he castigated Imaan Mazari, the same lawyer who represented Toor, for critiquing his work. In open court, the chief justice reportedly threatened contempt proceedings, said “shut your mouth”, and then turned to another lawyer, who happened to be Mazari’s husband, to say “control her, one day if I catch her…”. There was no question that these remarks were sexist, threatening, and unacceptable. An apology was due.
Instead, the following day, according to journalists in the courtroom, the chief justice stated: “Imaan Mazari is like my daughter. Yesterday, as a chief justice and as an elder, I was explaining things to her. My remarks were taken out of context”. Specifically, he denied having said he was going to “catch her” and stated (in contradiction of multiple journalists’ reports) that he had, in fact, only asked her husband to catch her (as if that was any better).
There’s an old saying that goes, ‘when you’re in a hole, stop digging’. But the Chief Justice still wasn’t done. “If I initiate contempt proceedings, the girl’s career will be ruined. I explained to her like my children, but she wasn’t understanding”. A shockingly inappropriate word was used to refer to a professional and accomplished lawyer — “bachi”. In doubling down on a worldview that sees women as lesser beings, devoid of agency and subject to the restraint, control, and unsolicited advice of the men around them, the chief justice revealed much. But he was clear during his castigation that one should critique the decisions, and not the person, so that is all I’ll do.
The Islamabad High Court Chief Justice’s decision to engage in textbook misogyny and belittle a female advocate for daring to stand up to him does not have much to commend itself. His decision to present a non-apology and further condescension disguised as benevolence only worsened his position. And his decision to still not provide an unconditional apology to all the women who appear in his court, despite multiple condemnations from bar associations and women’s groups, takes this matter to unacceptable levels of misconduct.
Apparently, there is a history to this behaviour. In an interview with Matiullah Jan, Mazari’s husband reported that Justice Dogar had been protested by the bar in Multan and ultimately transferred for referring to a lawyer as ‘ulloo ka patha’ in court. The Supreme Judicial Council is the sole body empowered to hold judges accountable for actions like this. At the very least, it should convene to take notice and release the minutes of the meeting to the public to let the country know that the entirety of its justice system does not condone misogyny.
How one clause changed it all
It cannot be ignored that everything you have read about here is a direct result of the 26th Amendment. That is what allowed this chief justice to be transferred from number 15 in seniority at the Lahore High Court (LHC) to number one in Islamabad, leapfrogging over some of our country’s most brilliant jurists. No reasoning was ever given to the public as to why Justice Dogar was deemed a better fit than those he superseded for the top job at the court of this nation’s capital.
Five sitting judges went on the record to argue (very convincingly) that this transfer was illegal and amounted to nothing more than an attack on the independence of the judiciary; going so far as to file a petition against the transfer appointments in the Supreme Court (SC). This challenge was heard by the constitutional bench, itself a creation of the 26th Amendment, and went exactly how you would expect it to.
With every passing day, the mess that this amendment created gets layers added to it, and the prospect of any meaningful pushback feels less and less likely. Robust challenges to its legality remain completely ignored by the SC. And almost a year into its enactment, while its impacts are immense and impossible to quantify, the result here is simple; the same IHC that once represented the very best of our judiciary — pushing back against power, delivering intelligent and progressive judgments, and standing up for the vulnerable — has been reduced to castigating activists and broadcasting misogyny.
This country deserves better. And if justice is to be seen to be done, we can’t have Justices seeing half the population as lesser than the other.
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