#lawyer in lahore

[voiceuppakistan]

2 persons including a woman were killed in the firing in Lahore session court

Lahore: 2 persons including a woman were killed due to firing by opponents in the Lahore session court, both of them had come to the session court for their case.

Those who died in the firing were identified as Sughra Bibi and Muhammad Amin, while the two shooters were arrested.

READ: Justice Musarrat Hilali, the second woman judge of the Supreme Court, take the oath of office

The details of the deceased have been revealed. Two persons appeared in the Lahore session court of Additional Sessions Judge Abdul Ghafoor, the deceased Muhammad Amin and Sughra Bibi were involved in the murder case. READ MORE

[zvaigzdelasas]

Khan’s nomination papers to contest from his hometown Mianwali, as well as Lahore were rejected, the Election Commission of Pakistan’s Secretary Omar Hamid Khan said in text message on Sunday. Khan has also sought to contest from capital Islamabad, according to his lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha.[...]

Khan’s political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, in a post on X, said that almost 90% of the nomination papers of key leaders, including Khan, were rejected while all of the nomination papers of other parties were accepted.

“We are going to stay in the election race, we are not going to step out, we are not going to back off,” said Raoof Hassan, PTI’s central information secretary. “We are going to use our constitutional, legal and political options.”

31 Dec 23

[beardedmrbean]

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A court in Pakistan on Thursday allowed investigators to question a man in their custody for four more days about his role in spreading misinformation that sparked widespread rioting in the U.K. earlier this month, officials said.

The court’s decision came a day after authorities charged the suspect Farhan Asif, 32, with cyber terrorism following his arrest from his home in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province.

Asif, who is a freelance web developer, was produced before the court amid tight security. He was not allowed to talk to the media.

Kiran Muqeem, a prosecutor for the Federal Investigation Agency, told the court that Asif did not cooperate with officers after the same court the previous day allowed them to question him for a day. They demanded his custody for two weeks but the court said it would only allow it for four more days.

Muqeem later told reporters that Asif disseminated fake news and caused riots in England.

Asif was handcuffed and wearing blue shalwar kameez garments when brought to the court.

His lawyer Rana Rizwan told reporters that the court remanded his client into the custody of the federal agency in a hurry and without hearing him.

“We were informed by the court that the case of Asif would be taken up after lunch break. But the court took up the matter before the lunch break, and allowed FIA to keep him in their custody,” Rizwan said.

Asif is accused of spreading misinformation from YouTube and Facebook about the British teenage suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three girls and injured 10 other people on July 29 at a dance class in Northwest England.

The false information claimed that the suspect was a recently arrived asylum-seeker and had a name that suggested he was Muslim. After the misinformation led to a violent mob attacking a mosque near the site of the stabbing the next day, police took the unusual step of clarifying that the suspect was born in the U.K.

British media has widely reported that his parents are from Rwanda and are said to have Christian beliefs. Channel3 Now, an account on the X social media platform that purports to be a news channel, was one of the first outlets to report the false name, Ali Al-Shakati.

A Facebook account for the channel said it is managed by people in Pakistan and the U.S. But, officials say Asif was solely running the Channel3 Now, and he spread misinformation to gain more viewers.

[starlightshadowsworld]

You make me do

Fatima Jinnah

Known as Madar-e-Millat or mother of the nation. She was crucial in the Pakistan's fight for independence.

And founded Jinnah Medical College for Girls.

Too much labour

Yasmeen Lari

Pakistan's first female architect. She went from designing shiny corporate structures such as Karachi's finance and trade center.

To helping build shelters for those affected by earthquakes (since 2005) with the resources they had available.

All day everyday

Zennat Haroon Rashid

Founding member of the Woman's national guard in Pakistan.

Her daughter created the "Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize for Women" in her honour. Which works to support women who want to pursue writing as a career.

Therapist Mother Maid

Azra Haq

A member of the Woman's national guard in Pakistan who helped to support and aid women who had been abandoned during the partition.

Nympth and a virgin

Sheherezade Alam

A renowned ceramist who themed her work around the earth. Founder of LAAL, an artistic movement to promote and preserve Pakistani art and culture.

Nurse than a servant

Mehnaz Rafi

One of the first members of the Woman's Action Forum (WAF) who worked to help woman fight for their rights.

Just an apandage

Madeeha Gauhur

Pakistani actress, playwright and director. Founded the Ajoka theatre in 1984, which stages social themes in theatres, on the street and other places in the public.

Live to attend him

Bapsi Sidhwa

Pakistani world renowned author, essayist and playwright. Well known for her novels which reflect her personal experiences of Partition, her life in Lahore, diasporic stories, identity etc.

So that he never lifts a finger

Begum Ra’ana Liaqat Ali Khan

The 1st First Lady of Pakistan, became the first Muslim female delegate to United Nations. In 1954, she became the first woman ambassador of Pakistan and was sent to Netherlands. In 1973, she became the first female governor of Sindh and later on, the first Chancellor of Karachi University and Sindh University.

Begum Ra’ana was awarded Nishan-e-Imtiaz. She was also given Order of Merit of Italian Republic, Order of Orange Nassau, Netherlands and the UN Human Rights Award 1978.

24/7 baby machine

Dr Sania Nishtar

She is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection and the Leader of Global Health and Sustainable Development.

Since 2018, Dr Sania has been the leader of the poverty reduction program in Pakistan called Ehsas, which strives to provide livelihood and improve the social situation of many people in the country.

So he can live out

Muniba Mazari Baloch

Due to suffering a spinal cord injury at 21, Muniba used it as fuel to encourage women and girls that have experienced discrimination or violence to not fear or fight the pain.

She is as Pakistan’s first National Ambassador.

His picket fence dreams

Asma Jahangir

Pakistani politician, lawyer, and human rights activist. She chaired the Bar Association of the Supreme Court. She has won numerous awards for her work on human rights, including the Martin Ennals Award.

It's not an act of love if you make her

Tahira Qazi

A beloved Pakistani principle who was held hostage at her school with her students by terrorists.

Although she had the opportunity to escape and save her own life, she chose to save her students.

"They are my children and I am their mother.”

She fought for them but unfortunately lost her life that day, on December 16th 2014.

You make me do too much labour

Malala Yousafzai

Pakistani activist for women's rights to education. Fighting for her right to education since she was a child, getting shot in the head by the Taliban for her efforts.

She continues to fight and was the youngest person to be awarded a Nobel peace prize.

[mariacallous]

When a male client grabbed 32-year-old Hafsa Ahmad from behind inside a crowded courtroom in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, she knew no colleague would stand up for her despite witnessing the assault. Why would the law firm she works for lose a high fee-paying client just to protect her, she thought to herself. She did not say a word and forgot the incident as if it had never happened.

Ahmad’s experience is not a one-off; 35-year-old Nida Usman Chaudhary, an award-winning lawyer and researcher, was catcalled by a male lawyer right outside the Lahore High Court, just when she was exiting the building after hosting a seminar to raise awareness about sexual harassment at the workplace. “It is ironic that this happened moments after I had finished speaking to a room full of lawyers about ways to curb harassment in the courts,” she told Foreign Policy.

In Pakistan, women lawyers who pursue litigation have to develop a thick skin to survive in the profession. Sexual harassment, condescending attitudes of male colleagues—and even some judges—and an overall culture of misogyny discourages them from practicing law and forces some of them to switch career paths.

Pakistan’s Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (enacted in 2010) makes it mandatory for government and private institutions to form inquiry committees to hear complaints of harassment, yet this law remains unimplemented in courts and law firms. Harassment, gender discrimination, and lack of internal recourse not only rob women lawyers of opportunities for networking and growth, but also has a lasting effect on Pakistani society.

Given the rampant culture of victim-blaming when it comes to cases of gender-based violence in Pakistan, the absence of a critical mass of women lawyers means victims of these crimes who approach the courts are met with hostility and are often forced to withdraw their complaints after reaching a so-called compromise with the accused.

Complainants who report gender-based violence often face character assassination during cross-examination, with opposing parties trying to question their credibility and blaming them for their own ordeal. It is easier to navigate this misogynistic environment with a woman lawyer on your side. However, without this support, female complainants are usually intimidated into silence. The gender imbalance in the legal profession therefore affects the criminal justice system’s ability to dispense justice.

Earlier this year, the Lahore High Court Bar Association elected its first woman secretary, Sabahat Rizvi, in a victory that women rights groups celebrated as historic. While Rizvi’s win was indeed a breath of fresh air, it is an exception to the norm. The Pakistan Bar Council, the highest elected body of lawyers in the country, hasn’t had a single female member since its formation by the Parliament in 1973. The absence of women in this body, according to Chaudhary, is linked to the way the electoral process works—which is structurally designed to keep men in power.

Members of the Pakistan Bar Council are elected directly by provincial bar councils. Since provincial bar councils have a disturbingly low number of women members to begin with, it’s mostly men picking the Pakistan Bar Council. A study conducted by the Women in Law Initiative found that in recent years, following a 2018 amendment to the law, the eligibility requirements to run in local bar council elections have become increasingly stringent and have resulted in the “gatekeeping” of corridors of power from women and young lawyers.

Only 12 percent of the lawyers in Pakistan who are registered as advocates are women, while in Punjab—the country’s biggest province by population—the percentage of women lawyers is 11 percent. The Punjab Bar Council has just one female member, Rushda Lodhi, who was a runner-up in the council’s last election in 2020. Lodhi was given the seat after a top-ranking male official was disqualified for having a fake law degree.

The late Asma Jilani Jahangir—Pakistan’s most well-known human rights defender and lawyer—managed to make her mark not just in Pakistan but around the world. Jahangir, who tirelessly defended Pakistan’s most marginalized groups, was the recipient of many human rights awards, and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005. With her sudden passing in 2016, young women lawyers she had mentored felt they had been orphaned. Jahangir’s younger sister, Hina Jilani, also a lawyer, is now carrying forward her legacy.

But what is common among the Jilani sisters, as well as other strong women lawyers like them, is the support from their families alongside their own perseverance. Most women in Pakistan, especially in conservative parts of the country such as in the provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, are not as fortunate.

The 2022 Global Gender Gap Index Report, released by the World Economic Forum, ranked Pakistan 145 out of 156 countries surveyed—beneath Saudi Arabia and Iran— when it came to economic participation and opportunity. The United Nations Women Pakistan notes that women “restricted from taking up positions in the political/public sphere due to systemic challenges arising from patriarchal notions.”

In Pakistan’s patriarchal society, most women have to seek their fathers’ or brothers’ permission to work. Even when conservative families allow their daughters to work, they are asked to stick to so-called gender-suited professions, such as teaching. Since being a lawyer means interacting with men from different walks of life and regularly visiting courts and police stations, women who want to pursue litigation face opposition from their families.

Even if they manage to begin their practice without their family’s support, they have no one to turn to if they face harassment or discrimination in the workplace. Often their only two options are to either quit, or continue struggling silently in a thankless profession where the odds are heavily stacked against them. Most women choose the former.

Maryam Khan, 40, a Lahore-based lawyer who began practicing in 2016, told Foreign Policy she has to “overprepare” her arguments because she knows judges would grill her more than her male colleagues. She remembers representing a leading oil company in a high court where the judge kept asking her if she was the lead counsel in the case. “My name was on the case file. He knew I was the counsel, but he probably did not want to believe that a woman can handle an important case like that,” Khan said.

Several other women lawyers FP spoke to admitted that they experienced a similar condescending tone and line of questioning from judges, who often assume that female lawyers appearing before them are either secretaries of a senior lawyer or clerical aides.

Another form of misogyny that women lawyers face is the assumption that when they win a case, it is because the judge unduly favored them due to their gender, and not because their arguments were convincing. Moreover, women who are well-dressed are not taken seriously and accused of playing the so-called woman card to get a favorable ruling. Young women lawyers also patronizingly get addressed as beta (child) by male counterparts who want to underscore their seniority.

Barrister Fatima Shaheen, 36, now a TV anchor, pursued litigation for six years in Lahore before she realized she could no longer put up with the misogynistic behavior. She recalls an opposing lawyer once jokingly telling her, “If you dress like this, the judge will keep staring at you instead of issuing the order.” These hostilities and an unwelcoming environment force most women to quit practicing, which is why bar lounges, associations, and councils across the country remain a boys’ club.

The rise of religious extremism in Pakistan has had a parallel effect on the legal fraternity and tanked the progress toward fair representation of women lawyers in the field. Since its rise to prominence in 2017, the Sunni extremist group Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) has been able to galvanize significant support among the working and middle classes in the country, and especially in the Punjab province. With the TLP’s rise, lawyers with extremist inclinations became more vocal.

In 2016, a 700-member lawyer alliance was formed to voluntarily prosecute individuals accused of blasphemy. The Khatm-e-Nabuwwat (Finality of Prophethood) Lawyers Forum was created in the lead-up to the TLP’s formation, when extremist clerics were holding protests against the execution of Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed murderer of former Punjab Gov. Salmaan Taseer. (Qadri killed the governor in 2011 due to his support to a blasphemy-accused Christian woman.)

Aside from the Khatm-e-Nabuwwat Lawyers Forum, there are other smaller groups of lawyers who describe themselves as the “guardian of the Prophet Muhammad’s honor” and share the TLP’s ideology.

In June last year, the Lahore Bar Association invited TLP chief Saad Rizvi, who has been arrested a number of times for violent protests by his group, to address a session about Islamophobia. Last month, two of the most prominent bar associations of the country wrote separate letters echoing TLP’s demands, and advised the police to not let Pakistan’s Ahmadi community, an already persecuted religious minority, observe the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha.

The increased influence of extremist factions, and the absence of proper protection mechanisms for judges and witnesses, mean that lawyers and judges have to tread carefully—further shrinking the space for women lawyers to form networks and effect change in the legal profession.

Article 25 of Pakistan’s Constitution says that there should be no discrimination on the basis of sex, yet the profession that is supposed to be the custodian of this law fails to curb gender-based discrimination within its own ranks. That there are no steps by representative bodies such as the Pakistan Bar Council to address this severe gender imbalance means that the problem is yet to be acknowledged, let alone resolved.

The situation is not too different in other parts of South Asia. According to recent data released by India’s Ministry of Law and Justice, only 15.3 percent of the country’s lawyers are women. In Bangladesh, the figure is 10 percent. Across the subcontinent, the patriarchal mindset that considers certain professions “unsuitable” for women ends up hindering their access to opportunities.

Women have been at the forefront of the struggle against military dictatorships and the restoration of democracy in Pakistan—and without their active participation in the public and private spheres, the country’s democracy will remain weak.

[mizelaneus]

[dpr-lahore-division]

*Press Release*

*October 21*

*"Fitna Party" Incites Students and Lawyers for Its Dirty Politics: Azma Bokhari*

Lahore () Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has criticized PTI, stating that those who once defamed judges and their families are now portraying themselves as staunch supporters of the judiciary. The approval of the 26th Constitutional Amendment has brought joy to proponents of democracy while its opponents are enraged. The so-called "Fitna Party" incites students and lawyers for its dirty politics. She made these remarks in response to a statement by Barrister Saif.

Azma Bokhari further emphasized that today marks a victory for both democracy and the parliament. PTI is no longer a legitimate political party but has devolved into a group of political orphans. The people of Pakistan have already seen the true face of the prisoner from Adiala Jail and his associates. The public is now wiser and will not be deceived by the tactics of “Fitna Khan”.

The Information Minister also remarked that the name of Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa will be inscribed in golden words in the annals of the judiciary's history. Chief Justice Isa has made all his decisions in strict accordance with the constitution and the law.

She went on to commend Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his team for their efforts, noting that they deserve recognition for their role in passing the 26th constitutional amendment. Everyone who contributed to this process is worthy of praise. The strength of democracy lies in the supremacy of the parliament.

She concluded by saying that those destined to complain and obstruct will always try to create hurdles in constitutional amendments and lawmaking. Yesterday was a "Surprise Day" for the prisoner of Adiala Jail as well.

[globalipanditservices]

GLOBAL IP & IT SERVICES

LEGAL ADVISORS & ATTORNEYS

“GLOBAL IP & IT SERVICES (GIP&ITS), Legal Advisors & Attorneys, is an Intellectual Property law firm in Lahore-Pakistan and also covers our services in Afghanistan, with a wide range of business and commercial clients.

The firm has currently consists 10 Lawyers which include 02 partners. At “GLOBAL IP & IT SERVICES (GIP&ITS). We are an internationally recognized full-service Pakistani law firm covering trademark, patent, design, copyright and its litigation. The firm has particular specialization in the areas of Intellectual Property.

The firm represents wide-ranging clients operating in a broad. We are committed to providing advice on a day to day basis to our clients. 

[justnownews]

Missing YouTuber Aun Ali Khosa Safely Returns Home

In a significant development, well-known YouTuber Aun Ali Khosa, who had been reported missing, has safely returned home. His disappearance, which led to widespread concern, had prompted a formal case to be filed just a few days ago. The Lahore High Court had issued an order to the CCPO Lahore, mandating the recovery and presentation of Khosa in court by August 20. Notable lawyer Khadija Siddiqi…

[drmaqazi]

THE BIGGEST LIE IN THE WORLD IS THAT PAKISTAN IS AN ISLAMIC REPUBLIC. 

Capital punishment in Islam is traditionally regulated by the Islamic law (sharīʿah), which derived from the Quran, ḥadīth literature, and sunnah (accounts of the sayings and living habits attributed to the Islamic prophet Muhammad during his lifetime).] Crimes according to the sharīʿa law which could result in capital punishment include apostasy from Islam, murder, rape, adultery, homosexuality, etc. Death penalty is in use in many Muslim-majority countries, where it is utilized as sharīʿah-prescribed punishment for crimes such as apostasy from Islam, adultery, witchcraft, murder, rape, and publishing pornography.[5List of crimes where capital punishment is applicable

Murder

Adultery of married personals

Apostasy

Espionage

Robbery

Witchcraft

Homosexuality

Kidnapping of women

Rebellion against Islam

Rape

Organized crime in Pakistan includes fraud, racketeering, drug trafficking, smuggling, money laundering, extortion, ransom, political violence, etc. Terrorist attacks became common during the 2000s, especially in North-West Frontier Province, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Balochistan, Karachi and Lahore. Vehicle theft is common, particularly in the large cities.

Black marketing

bombing

drug trafficking,

extortion

fire

fraud,

hoarding

racketeering, 

money laundering, 

political violence, 

racketeering

ransom,

smuggling,  

stealing 

Terrorist attacks. 

Vehicle theft 

It is not true. Pakistan is neither ISLAMIC nor REPUBLIC. There is no Shariah Law, therefore it is not ISLAMIC. There is Rule of Law, Equality Freedom and Jussive for the common man therefore it is neither DEMOCRATIC nor REPUBLIC.

The JUDICIARY including but not limited to Judges, the Lawyers and the Clerks are sold to the highest bidder. The poor people have no money so they cannot afford to buy justice. WHAT A SHAME!

The Government, its Ministers, Officials and the public is corrupt from top to bottom They tell lies day and night from both sides of their mouth. They are all HYPOCRITES AND BLOODY LIARS, PERIOD!

[harsh003]

Reimagining the Future of South Asia Amidst Historical Divisions.

One became the mother of democracy in India, where the rape of women is still not fully investigated, corruption is high, and law and order is bought with money to this day. Any woman even in modern India today probably scared to report her rape.

“This part of the world was considered as wealthy as Europe as back as 1500’s. We were a good host to Mugal invaders and then followed by the British East India company.

Millions of people died to obtain the birth of a divided India on the 15th of August 1947.

Millions more died trying to leave what was a home for a new home under a new sky.

MThis was India Sky, Pakistani Sky and later to become Bangladesh Sky. Yet we have forgotten that Sky is only one and it cannot be divided.

We left the horrible occupation for freedom for which we were ill-prepared.

The birth of India and Pakistan was built on the bodies of immigrants.

One became the mother of democracy in India, where the rape of women is still not fully investigated, corruption is high, and law and order is bought with money to this day. Any woman even in modern India today probably scared to report her rape. She knows too well that she will be interrogated by a Police 10, Police Senior, DCP, Press, and lawyers. She will be virtually ripped apart so she probably thinks no point in reporting.

Mother of democracy but really we are not as we are divided on caste, regional biases, language bias, religion, and yes we are independent. Many argue with me that at least we ar in control of our own destiny. I don’t agree with this destiny which takes us to an unknown path.

India is known for thousands of years as the land of learned people, peace-loving, law-abiding people.

How is corruption rampant in India? How will anyone get justice? Not possible unless you have money and connections.

We have achieved some economic progress due to some of our policies instigated in 1970 and 1980.

Pakistani where shall I start, it is quite close to being labeled as a failed state. It was formed yet again by two people Mohammed Allam Iqbal and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. It was supposed to be a Muslim household and a democratic one. Democracy in Pakistan never flourished and the institution of the army always had an upper hand in all things

In the beautiful fields of Punjab, the Deseret of Sind was never allowed to belong to the workers.

Landowners controlled the masses and hence wealth did not move much to the workers.

Pakistan means Pure Land but it’s politics is filthy. It was a dreamland for the immigrants but in 1960 it suffered the Bengal massacre which lead to the division of the country. An independent election won by Bengalis was not accepted and led to the birth of yet another country under another Sky!!!

The land of pure is often finding it hard to control its 4 provinces. Lovely people of Punjab are made to fight Sindhis and etc.

Economical it has also not prospered due to lack of education, misunderstanding of the Teachings of Islam, early marriages, etc.

So, in the end, we are worse off than what we were once and worse led by foreigners. We must continue the search for a United India and strengthen the hands of the ordinary people.

We can be the biggest economic market if we still believe in

Breakfast in Dhaka

Lunch in Delhi

Dinner in Lahore

we will have no choice but eventually to come and find a way forward.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

In the heart of bustling Mumbai, a vision for a just and equitable world is coming to life through the tireless efforts of Dr. Ahmed Haque, a renowned philanthropist, peace activist, and beacon of hope for many. Founding the Just World Order Federation (JWOF), Dr. Haque is not just dreaming of a better future; he is actively laying the groundwork for it. This initiative, deeply rooted in the principles of justice, equality, and peace, seeks to empower the voiceless, support the powerless, and challenge the injustices that mar our society. Contact Us for more details.

[abcexpresspk]

Lahore: The license of a lawyer who made videos of couples in parks and went viral has been suspende - ...

[jobz24com]

PTI’s Sher Afzal Marwat ‘abducted’ outside LHC: party - Pakistan

PTI Senior Vice President (SVP) Sher Afzal Marwat was detained outside the Lahore High Court (LHC) by uniformed personnel, the party said on its X (formerly Twitter) social media account. Dawn.com’s correspondent at the court saw Marwat being detained by police personnel. Footage of Marwat’s arrest shared by the PTI on X showed policemen dragging him by the collar as several lawyers tried to stop…

[xtruss]

Pakistan’s Corrupt To Their Cores Army Generals Look Increasingly Desperate! A Heavily Fraudulent Election May Not Keep Imran Khan’s Fans At Bay

— March 14th 2024 | The Economist

Illustration of a Ballot Being Shredded. Image Credit: lan Truong

Thief, Looter, Traitor, International Money Launderer Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League Party (PML-N) is Back in Power with the Help of Heavily Rigged Elections by the Pakistan’s Corrupt To Their Cores Army Generals, ISI, Politicians and Judges. Following elections last month, the thrice former prime minister’s younger brother, Shehbaz, has been installed in the ruling post. His Daughter, Lowlife, Looter, Thief, Corrupt and Stupid to her Core Maryam Safdar, is the New Chief Minister of Populous Punjab in result of Stolen Mandate of Imran Khan’s Party PTI. So why is Mr Sharif so glum? The 74-year-old “Lion of Punjab 😂😂😂” has said little publicly since the vote. Bunkered down in his mansion outside Lahore, he is said to be depressed.

He has reason to be. The PML-N’s success is much less than Mr Sharif was promised when he returned home last year. He had spent four years in exile in London because Pakistan’s Generals—Stage Managers of its Democracy—were against him. They rigged an election in 2018 in favour of his main rival, Imran Khan. But then they fell out with Mr Khan and reverted to the lion. A former cricketing god, Mr Khan is Now in Jail on Graft Charges. His Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has been dismantled. PML-N was therefore expected to sweep the election and Mr Sharif to become prime minister for a fourth time. Instead, something unprecedented happened.

Despite the Army’s Myriad Ploys to prevent Pakistanis voting for Mr Khan, it seems most did so. Standing as independents, candidates linked to his party swept the country. Early counting put them on track for Two-Thirds of Punjab’s seats and an overall majority. At which point the Army Intervened to a degree that might make a Tin-Pot Tyrant Blush.

Army agents were allegedly sent into counting stations with alternative tallies. Salman Akram Raja, a Supreme Court Lawyer running as a De Facto PTI Candidate in Lahore, had been informed that he had won by 95,000 votes. And then—whoops—that he had lost to the PML-N Candidate by 13,500. Mr Sharif’s Party would otherwise have faced oblivion. As it is, it won only 75 of 264 seats. It cobbled together a majority by striking a deal with the Pakistan Peoples Party, which is run by another Fading Dynasty, the Bhuttos.

This might seem like Pakistani business as usual. The country has been ruled by the army, directly or at varying degrees of remove, throughout its history. In a cycle that Mr Sharif has been through several times, the Corrupt Generals put a Biddable Civilian in Power then, after he or she dares to act independently, switch to a different proxy or Army Rule. Thereby Pakistan has had Four Army Dictators and None of its 20 Civilian Prime Ministers has completed a Five-Year term. This helps explain why it is so badly governed. Having little prospect of a full term, Pakistan’s civilian regimes abjure long-term decision-making in favour of populist giveaways and graft. As recently as 2006, Pakistanis were better-off than Indians; now the average income in India is 60% higher than that in Pakistan.

A big question arising from this latest turn of the wheel is whether the army can maintain control. There are two reasons to think it could struggle. The first is Mr Khan. Perhaps unwittingly, given his erstwhile compliance with the army, he has channelled Pakistanis’ long-standing despond into anger at the military establishment. This has put Pakistani Politics on New Terrain. Had the Boak Bollocks Corrupt Army Chief, General Asim Munir, responded to the vote count by calling a state of emergency, as his predecessors might have, he would have risked an uprising. “There is This Sense That the Gravy Train Needs to Stop,” says Mr Raja, an Old Acquaintance of Banyan. “We Can’t Be Forever Governed by Two Families in Cahoots with the Powers That Be.”

The second factor endangering the status quo is a protracted economic crisis. The inflationary shocks experienced in many countries have in Pakistan combined with the effects of long-standing malgovernance to deliver chronic inflation, joblessness and balance-of-payment problems. Mr Khan’s ousting in 2022 now appears well timed for him. Mr Sharif’s decision to let Shehbaz (Both Brothers Certified Corrupt to Their Cores) lead an 16-month-long replacement government instead of calling early elections looks like a major blunder. It has hung the crisis around his party’s neck. With Pakistan’s 24th IMF Bail-Out set to expire this month, and a bigger loan urgently required, the new government will need to take measures that will make it even more unpopular than it is. Its prospects—and Mr Sharif’s hopes of rebuilding his party—appear dire.

The same could be true for the army-run establishment that Mr Sharif has unhappily rejoined. It may have got away with its latest election heist. But in the process Mr Khan’s supporters have made the Corrupt Army, ISI, Politicians and Judges Look Desperate and Vulnerable. ■

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] The Lahore High Court building can be seen in Punjab's capital Lahore. — APP/File LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Tuesday stopped the Election Commission of Pakistan from taking the final decision in the ongoing contempt case against PTI Chairman Imran Khan. The court, in its order, stated that applications of such nature are pending with the Supreme Court. The counsel said that the commission should continue its proceedings but not take the final decision.The court issued notices to the commission and others for the next hearing, including the petitioner’s lawyer.Barrister Sameer Khosa argued that the commission had initiated contempt proceedings against the PTI chairman, which is the sole jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and high courts.It is contradictory, therefore, the court should declare the contempt action of the election commission against the PTI chairman null and void. [ad_2]