Bilawal highlights inattention to Balochistan I Malaysian PM to visit Pakistan
In Brief
POLITICS
Imran announces protests from 2 October
On 29 September, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, Ali Amin Gandapur, threatened consequences if any attempts are made at foiling the Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf's activity again. On the following day, 30 September, the CM vowed to carry out the party’s protests at any location declared by the PTI founder. Separately, the PTI Chief, Imran Khan, announced that the party will organize a protest in Mianwali, Faisalabad, Bahawalpur, on 2 October. Demonstrations will also be carried out at Minar-i-Pakistan on 4 and 5 October. In his statement, he affirmed Gandapur’s statement of an “imminent revolution.” He commented that Gandapur had “awakened the province's people" and echoed his call for revolution.” Speaking on the constitutional package advanced by the government, he expressed support for the judges of the apex court by saying: “We will defend the judiciary and will continue a struggle for real freedom.” He stated that the “London Plan” aimed at bringing the PTI down to its knees. He also condemned the treatment of an 80-year-old who was arrested for being a part of the PTI’s peaceful protests and the incarceration of his spouse Bushra Bibi filed against sedition charges was an attempt at breaking him. (Syed Irfan Raza, “Imran Khan announces ‘pro-judiciary’ protests from October 2 ,” The Express Tribune, 30 September)
JUDICIARY
SC judges brawl over non-adherence to legal procedure
On 30 September, a five-judge bench led by Chief Justice, Qazi Faez Isa adjourned its decision in a petition filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan (‘SCBA’). The bench consisted of Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel Isa, who were set to hear a review petition filed by the on 23 June 2022. The petition called for the review of the apex court’s 17 May 2022 decision on the defection clause under Article 63 A of the constitution. It seeks to determine whether the defecting lawmakers’ votes will be counted. The majority of the contested judgement was authored by Munib Akhtar. He was unable to attend the hearing. In his letter to the Chief Justice, he expressed his non-attendance shall not be interpreted as a formal recusal. As a response, the Chief Justice asked the court Registrar to notify Justice Akhtar, to call him to join the bench. If he is to decline then the court will have to appoint a new judge to take his place. Justice Isa expressed the importance of maintaining fairness and transparency by having the judges who gave the original judgement be a part of the bench. In his letter, Justice Akhtar pointed out many procedural objections to the formation of the bench hearing the review petition, including the appointment of the retired Justice Mazhar Alam Khan as an ad-hoc judge and questioned the legality of a five-judge bench being altered to a four-judge bench without following legal protocol and the newly amended Ordinance VIII of 2024.
It’s worth noting that SCBA’s petition had a key role in the constitutional amendment package which aims at reforming the judicial structure. If the SC reverses its decision on Article 63 then the decisions of the defecting members may be considered. However, this may lead to the possibility of horse-trading and floor-crossing. Currently, the government has been pushing to secure votes for the second time, from the Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islami (JUI-F) on the package. But their votes may not be sufficient. PTI lawyers have questioned why this petition has been taken up by the SC now and not before its 12 July order which grants the independent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf candidates reserved seats for minorities in the parliament. (Sohail Khan, “SC judges embroiled in open spat ,”Dawn, 1 October 2024; Hasnaat Malik, “CJ Isa pushes forward on Article 63-A review,” The Express Tribune, 1 October 2024)
FIA rejects bail pleas in Toshakhana case
On 30 October, the hearing in Adiala jail cast off the petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi. The petitioners sought bail in the Toshakhana case, where they were alleged of misusing their authority to acquire state gifts such as jewelry from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed Bin Salman. This event comes when both mentioned above are set to be trialed on 2 October by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The case has come to light as the couple has also been acquitted in the iddat case, which declared their marriage un-Islamic. At the hearing, the court prosecutor stated that the set from Saudi Arabia was valued at PKR 71.5 million, while the suspects had got it valued at PKR 5.8 million from a private firm. The prosecutor asked the court to reject bail petitions as they failed to submit the set in the Toshakhana repository, a department that stores such gifts given to parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments, states, and foreign officials as a gesture of goodwill. (Shabbir Dar, “New Toshakhana case: Court throws out Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi's bail pleas ,” The News International, 30 September 2024)
ECONOMY
Three provinces agree upon the National Fiscal Pact
On 30 September, the central and three provincial governments, excluding Sindh agreed upon the National Fiscal Pact an alternative to the National Finance Commission (NFC). This initiative is to conform with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions under the recently approved USD 7 billion loan. Under the pact, concessions to provinces include the non-inclusion of sharing expenses on the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and transfers of federally funded projects to provinces. A separate concession has been planned for Sindh, which grants the province greater autonomy. However, this is only possible when a consensus is drawn from the Council of Common Interests (CCI). Under the pact, the center may be responsible for provincial road infrastructure, health, and education however it will not be involved in determining the agriculture support prices. It also equalizes the federal personal taxes and agriculture corporate income rates and even increases the provincial share in federal taxes to 57.7 per cent. (Shahbaz Rana, “Three provinces agree on National Fiscal Pact ,” The Express Tribune, 1 October 2024)
NAC revises FY24 GDP growth to 2.52 per cent
On 30 September, the Pakistan Bureau of Statics (PBS) data revealed that Pakistan failed to achieve its target economic growth of 3.5 per cent in 2023-2024. A growth of 2.52 was recorded. This decline is attributed to a slump in industrial production, at 1.21 per cent from 1.15 per cent as indicated in the previous National Accounts Committee (NAC) meeting. Nevertheless, the country experienced moderate growth due to an increase in agricultural incomes and remittances. The committee meeting approved the revision of the country’s quarterly growth of Q1, Q2, and Q3 of fiscal 2024 to 2.69 per cent, 1.97 per cent, and 2.36 per cent from the previous meeting’s estimates at 2.71per cent, 1.79 per cent, and 2.09 per cent. The committee also updated the provisional GDP growth from 2.38 per cent in the previous meeting to 2.52 per cent. (Mubarak Zen Khan, “Economy grows 2.5pc in FY24 ,” Dawn, 1 October 2024)
FBR records tax collection exceeding monthly target
On 1 October, the Federal Bank Revenue (FBR) collection saw a surge in its tax collection to PKR 1.10, exceeding the target collection, compensating for the 2 billion revenue shortfall experienced in the last two months of the first quarter of fiscal 2024-2025. Nevertheless, a 25 per cent increase in revenue was recorded in the first quarter, compared to the same months in the previous year. It was also recorded that the FBR had refunded PKR 146 billion in the first quarter, compared to the same time last year, which was PKR 129 billion. However, the FBR paid PKR 15 billion in refunds in September, a 59.45 per cent decline from PKR 37 billion in the same month of the previous year. (Mubarak Zen Khan, “FBR collection exceeds target in September ,” Dawn, 1 October 2024)
Government slashes petroleum and diesel prices
On 30 October, according to an official statement, the government has slashed petrol prices by 2.07 per litre. These prices are set to come into effect from 1 October. The price of high-speed diesel has also been slashed by PKR 3.40, from PKR 249.69 to PKR 246.29. However, the prices of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) have been increased by 2.99 per cent for domestic and commercial consumers, as global costs have also risen. Hence, the current cost of the domestic gas cylinders and commercial gas cylinders will be PKR 2965 and PKR 11,300, respectively. Drawing comparisons with the cylinder rates of the previous month, the domestic cylinder price was PKR 2,879, while the commercial cylinder was PKR 10,968. (“Petrol price cut by Rs2.07 per litre, diesel Rs3.4 ,” Dawn, 1 October 2024)
PROVINCES
PPP Chairman highlights inattention to Balochistan
On 30 October, in his speech at the distribution of grant cheques for housing reconstruction, in Quetta, Pakistan People’s Party Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari highlighted how the aid of flood victims back in 2022 was now being distributed in Balochistan. He mentioned how the funding secured from the World Bank, and provincial and federal government were used to reconstruct homes for flood victims while he served as foreign minister of Pakistan in Sindh. The project also aimed at not only providing houses to the beneficiaries but also giving them land ownership rights, similar to the initiatives. He claimed that similar efforts were not being made in Balochistan and asked why it was so. He noted how the federation has withheld a USD 400 million grant for the flood victims. He emphasized the need for the provincial and federal governments to cooperate and collaborate to address the issues flood victims face (Mohammad Zafar Baloch, “Balochistan being treated unfairly: Bilawal ,” The News International, 1 October 2024)
EXTERNAL
Malaysian PM to visit Pakistan
On 30 September, the Foreign Office (FO) announced the PM Sharif’s invitation to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for an official visit from 2 to 4 October. The statement revealed that the Malaysian head will be accompanied by a delegation and both sides will discuss “a wide-ranging agenda to further strengthen Pakistan-Malaysia ties in diverse fields, including trade, connectivity, energy, agriculture, the halal industry, tourism, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people contacts.” (“Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim to visit Pakistan on October 2-4 ,” Dawn, 30 September 2024)
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A bench constituted without the presence of Justice Mansoor Ali Shah has no legal status. Sardar Latif Khosa
- PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif became the voice of the Muslim Ummah and fought for the cause of Palestine. ~ Federal Minister of Information Attaullah Tarar
- PMLN Digital
“I will not legislate to block or pave the way for anyone, when judicial reforms as well as the system of appointment of judges are changed, it will consist of representatives of the judges, the High Court Bar, the government and the opposition who will appoint the judges. " Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
- PPP
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"A new federal structure has to be devised for the long-term sustainability of the state of Pakistan."
-An opinion in Dawn, ‘A fraying federation'
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