Today News Update 21 April

 Consultation on evacuation of Pakistanis from war-torn Sudan continues: Pakistan

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan has said that the government is consulting with friendly countries on the evacuation of Pakistani citizens from Sudan. The foreign secretary discussed the situation in Sudan in an online meeting with Pakistani missions in Khartoum and nearby countries on Friday. Asad Majeed Khan said that the government is working with friendly countries to ensure the safety and security of Pakistanis in Sudan. Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan met Swadani Ambassador Saleh Muhammad Ahmad Muhammad in Islamabad on Friday and informed him about Pakistan's concern over the situation in Sudan. Talking to the ambassador of Sudan on this occasion, he said that Pakistan hopes that the Sudanese authorities will take all necessary measures for the safety and security of Pakistanis in the country. Speaking on the situation of the war-torn country, the spokesperson of the Foreign Office, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, has also said that there are more than 1500 Pakistanis in Sudan. In a statement on Friday, the spokesperson said that the government of Pakistan has instructed the Pakistani community in Sudan not to leave their homes. The spokesperson of the Foreign Office further said that the Pakistani embassy in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, is in contact with Pakistanis through a WhatsApp group.

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Harassment case: President Alvi fined the accused for taking unnecessary legal action

President Dr. Arif Alvi imposed a fine on the accused to discourage unnecessary legal action in the harassment case. According to the statement issued by the President's House on Friday, Dr. Arif Alvi said that "the proceedings of the original case are still pending, in which the evidence is yet to be recorded to find out the truth of the harassment."The accused filed an application for prolongation of the proceedings unnecessarily. Such a trend needs to be discouraged as it is nothing but a tactic to gain time.' The President of the State said that "it is decided that no party is allowed to file an appeal in haste, the appeal wasted not only the ombudsman but also the precious time of the President." According to details, a female Assistant Sub-Inspector ASI (complainant) of the Airport Security Force (ASF) posted at Sukkur was allegedly harassed by the airport manager. According to the allegations, the accused pressured the woman for marriage and then started abusing her within four months of the marriage. In February 2022, the accused divorced the woman and later pressured her to live together, the accused also threatened to terminate the woman's job as an airport manager and sent indecent WhatsApp messages.

The complainant contacted the Federal Anti-Harassment Ombudsman. The Ombudsman rejected the objections of the accused regarding the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman over the case. The accused filed an appeal with the President of the State against the order of the Ombudsman, which was also rejected by him. The president of the state said in his decision that the accused should pay the air fare, the woman was made to travel from Karachi to Islamabad for the hearing and was put in more mental and financial difficulties."The accused caused unnecessary pain to the woman for the hearing of the petition filed on the wrong grounds."

Dr. Arif Alvi added that 'such trend of unnecessary litigation needs to be discouraged.' "To prevent inordinate delay in disposing of cases it is appropriate to impose a penalty on a party filing an appeal on poor grounds, the case cannot be decided without examining the evidence." While rejecting the appeal of the accused, the President of the State imposed the air travel expenses of the complainant woman on the accused. He said that the ombudsman should complete the proceedings within 90 days and ensure that the accused pays the plane fare to the complainant.

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Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill becomes law, notification issued

Despite the court decision, the 'Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill' has become a formal law.On Friday, the National Assembly Secretariat issued a notification regarding the bill to reduce the powers of the Chief Justice becoming a formal law and ordered a gazette notification in this regard. According to the Assembly Secretariat, the bill has now been enacted into law. The National Assembly Secretariat tweeted that the Majlis Shura (Parliament) Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Act, 2023 will be deemed to have been approved by the President under Clause 2 of Article 75 of the Constitution of Pakistan. According to the statement, the approval will be effective from April 21. On April 13, an 8-member larger bench of the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the law (Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill 2023) to curtail the powers of the Chief Justice. In the written order of the eight-member bench, it was said that "whether the bill is signed by the President or not, it will not be implemented."

After the approval of the Supreme Court Practice and Procedure Bill by the National Assembly and the Senate on April 10, it was sent to the President for signature on April 11. However, President Dr. Arif Alvi did not sign the Practice and Procedure Bill approved by the National Assembly and Senate and sent it back to Parliament for revision. After approval, the bill was again sent to the President for his signature, but the President has not yet signed it. If the President of the State does not sign a bill for ten days, after this period, the bill automatically becomes a law.

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