Photo : The News International
NIAS Area Studies
PAKISTAN READER
Photo : The News International
POLITICS
PTI requests more time for drafting final demand list
On 2 January, Dawn reported that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has asked for more timein order to frame its demands. . National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq informed, in a press conference, after the round round of meeting between the government and the PTI that the latter wants to consult its jailed founder, Imran Khan on the final agenda for negotiations. The meeting was presided over by the NA Speaker, Ayaz Sadiq, and was attended by a PTI and government delegation. Sadiq also announced that a third meeting has been scheduled for the following week. He observed that the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Gandapur, made constructive points. He opined: “These negotiations will end the bitterness and improve the situation.” In a separate statement, Senator Siddiqui of the Pakistan Muslim League (N) stated that the opposition had expressed their perspective and demands in a detailed manner while reading the joint statement. He further stated that the PTI sought to meet the incarcerated leader to present their charter “in definitive writing form.” In this regard, he claimed that the government had no issue with the PTI group meeting Khan as he initiated the dialogue. He added that once the demands were compiled in writing, the government would review them for about a week to consider their legality and constitutionality. (Nadir Guramani, Irfan Sadozai & Umaid Ali, “PTI requests time to consult Imran on ‘conclusive list’ of demands as 3rd round of govt talks set for next week,” Dawn, 2 January 2025)
Election petition “disposal picks up, but still sluggish”: Fafen
On 3 January, according to a report from the Free and Fair Election Network (Fafen), there has been an improvement in election tribunals deciding poll disputes. Between mid-November and late December 2024, 51 petitions were decided upon which is about27 per cent of the total cases. A legal deadline is in place to decide dispose of poll petitions within 180 days. However, the tribunals had already missed the deadline. The report further revealed that 370 of 377 petitions were filed with 23 tribunals. Five in Sindhand six in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa tribunals have decided a fifth of their respective caseloads. Punjab has decided on only 18 per cent of its total case load. On the other hand, Balochistan has shown favorable trajectory as three of its tribunals have addressed 80 per cent of the poll disputes. In total, a third of the provincial assembly election disputes and a fifth of the National Assembly petitions have been decided. Additionally, all petitions of the National Assembly have been dismissed while three petitions on the Balochistan Assembly’s constituencies have been accepted. (Ifthikar A Khan, “Poll petitions’ disposal picks up, but still sluggish,” Dawn, 3 January 2025)
JUDICIARY
Military Courts of Appeal accepts pleas of 19 9 May convicts
On 2 January, a statement released by the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced that the military Courts of Appeal have revoked of the punishments of 19 people who were convicted for their involvement in the 9 May events. The ISPR stated that the Court of Appeals had received about 67 convicts filed petitions for mercy in punishments but only 19 were accepted, purely based on humanitarian grounds and law. It claimed that the court was fair and just as two years of punishment was canceled for each of the selected convicts. This development has been welcomed by the Supreme Court Bar Association President, Mian Muhammad Rauf Atta. He hailed the court for accepting the petitions. He said: “We view this as a positive move toward lowering the political temperature amid the ongoing crises and polarisation.”
Separately, the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench is scheduled to hear important cases from 6 January including intra-court appeals filed by the federation against the Supreme Court’s judgment of declaring the civilian trials in the military courts as unconstitutional. It will also hear the petitions filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf on the rigging of the 8 February elections among many others. (“Mercy pleas of 19 May 9 convicts accepted, says Army,” The News International, 3 January 2025)
IHC records 5.4 per cent dip in case decisions of 2024
On 3 January, Dawn reported on official statistics published by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The data revealed that the IHC’s eight judges decided on 10,571 cases in2024.On the contrary, it had decided a total of 11,170 cases in 2023. This dip in the number of cases taken up by the court comes as the payments to high court judges has been increased by more than 65 per cent. Presently, there are over 16,000 pending cases in the IHC. Hence, the low disposal rate adds to the existing backlog. Speaking on the matter, the Islamabad High Court Bar Association Secretary Shafqat Tarar observed how the number of petitions being filed has exceeded disposal and even wondered why the other judges were unable to meet the chief justice’s performance rate. In 2024 the latter decided upon more than 2,500 cases. In a separate statement, Islamabad Bar Council Vice Chairman Adil Aziz Qazi opined that the court was flooded with politics-related cases. In this regard, the judges prioritized these cases more than routine petitions. (Malik Asad, IHC decided 5.4pc less cases in 2024 than previous year, Dawn, 3 January)
ECONOMY
“The rationalization of defined pension benefits” “was necessary for the management of the liability in future”: Dawn editorial
On 3 January, an editorial titled “Pension reform,” in Dawn upheld the recent pension reform announced by the Finance Ministry as it reduces the liability volume on the country’s shrinking finances. It will help shrink the future liability of the country as it discontinues several pension payouts. The reforms promote transparency and accuracy via digitization to overcome corrupt practices, delays, and red tape. Moreover, reforms have been introduced to revise the way in which pensions were earlier calculated. From now on, all pensions will be evaluated on the basis of the retiring employee’s salary, 24 months prior to the date of release from service. Besides, slashing the amount receivable by civil and military officials will have a positive impact on budget stability “given the quadrupling of the liability from PKR245billion in 2019.” In this regard, the editorial underscored the importance of these reforms “for the management of the liability in the future.” (“Pension reform,” Dawn, 3 January 2025)
SOCIETY
Telecommunication Authority blames internet disruption on undersea cable damage
On 2 January, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) stated that ongoing work was being done to fix the defect in an undersea cable, Africa-Asia-Europe (AAE)-1 cable. The cable enables internet connectivity to India, Oman, Qatar, Italy, Greece, Egypt, France, Pakistan and many other countries. A statement issued by the PTA alleged that it was due to a fault in the cable, that the internet, and broadband service users experienced disruptions in the internet connectivity across Pakistan. It is worth noting that Pakistan is among the countries with the slowest internet connection in the world, inspite of improvements in the fixed broadband speeds and mobile phones in October, suggested data from a global speed test. The Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index highlighted that the fixed broadband networks of Pakistan ranked 141 of 158 countries in October. It underscored a median speed of 15.6 megabits per second. Additionally, the median speed of mobile data was 20.61 megabits per second, ranking Pakistan 100 out of 111 states. (Umaid Ali, “Work underway to fix fault in undersea internet cable: PTA,” Dawn, 2 January 2025)
SECURITY
Sibi Commissioner survives attack in Haji Shar area
On 2 January, Sibi’s Division Commissioner, Zahid Shah survived an armed attack by unidentified men in Haji Shar area. Shah was on his way back to Sibi after an official visit to different parts of Lehri tehsil. However, when his convoy arrived in Haji Shah, unknown assistants opened fire on the returning vehicle. From this ensued a heavy fire exchange as the personnel guarding the commissioner fired back but none of the officials or the commissioner were hurt. Eventually, the attackers fled from the scene and an investigation was launched in the area.(“Sibi commissioner escapes armed attack in Haji Shar,”Dawn, 3 January 2025)
“While the Kurram violence might be over for now, long-term stability in Pakistan will require more unified and cohesive leadership going forward”: The News International editorial
On 3 January, an editorial titled “Peace in Kurram,” in The News International highlighted how Pakistan cannot afford to become a base for communal clashes between different communities. It highlighted the recent peace agreement brokered between warring tribal parties in Kurram, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa after more than a month of sectarian violence ensued in the district, leading to 150 deaths. It observed that the agreement had “a solid foundation for long-term peace,” only it was “implemented in letter and spirit.” With 2024 being the year with one of the worst violence outbreaks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial matter eventually became a national issue as sit-ins and demonstrations were being led in Karachi and Peshawar. Hence, as a country that seeks economic stability, it can no longer afford to have another district being taken over by violence. Especially, violence directed against pluralism and inter-communal harmony. The Kurram attacks came as Pakistan was already dealing with a strained security situation and a “fractured national political scene.” However, during this period, the provincial chief minister, Amin Ali Gandapur was leading marches towards Islamabad instead of paying heed to the provincial affairs, thereby forcing the federation to deal with the declining state of law and order. In this regard, the editorial opined that “the fractures in Kurram seem like a microcosm of bigger national fissures that are compromising the state’s ability to do its job effectively.”(“Peace in Kurram,” The News International, 3 January 2025)