LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday disposed of a petition filed by PTI seeking permission to hold a public rally at Minar-i-Pakistan after it was informed that the deputy commissioner had denied the request. The PTI announced it would stage countrywide protests today (Wednesday) to mark three years since the imprisonment of party founder Imran Khan and demand his release, with a gathering in Peshawar serving as the centrepiece of its campaign. On Wednesday, Justice Mirza Viqas Rauf heard the petition filed by PTI Lahore President Mian Akram Usman seeking permission for the Minar-i-Pakistan rally. At the outset of the hearing, the judge directed a law officer to seek instructions from the deputy commissioner. When the hearing resumed, the law officer appeared before the court, saying the deputy commissioner had rejected the petitioner’s application at a high-level meeting. He argued that permission for the rally could not be granted in view of potential terrorist t...
ISLAMABAD: A writ petition was filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday, challenging President Asif Ali Zardari’s delay in assenting to a summary forwarded by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the appointment and confirmation of judges to various high courts. The petition, filed by advocate Luqman Zafar Chaudhary through his counsel Zahid Asif Chaudhry, urged the court to direct the president to approve the summary forwarded by the prime minister for the appointment of 19 additional judges and the confirmation of five judges to the Islamabad, Lahore, Sindh, Balochistan and Peshawar high courts. The JCP, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, recommended the names during meetings held on July 20 and 21 after following the procedure laid down under Article 175A of the Constitution. The summary was subsequently forwarded by the prime minister to the president for assent under Article 48 of the Constitution. According to the petiti...