Court moved against PDM protest outside ECP office

LAHORE:A writ petition has been moved in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking directions to stop Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) from holding a protest outside the ECP's office on Tuesday (today).

Chairman Judicial Activism panel Advocate Azhar Siddique has filed the petition, saying the opposition is trying to build pressure on the country’s supreme electoral body and the court should stop PDM’s sit-in outside the ECP.

The institutions work as per law and the protest of opposition outside the ECP is a bid to interfere in its working, the petitioner said. He said the state institutions are run in accordance with law and the PDM protest is a tactic to pressurise the ECP. He said the PDM’s protest is an act of mutiny against the state institution. Alliance of the opposition parties from the platform of the PDM is set to hold protest outside the ECP’s office to demand election body to decide a foreign funding case.

The government has announced not to stop PDM from protest but warned that the law will take its course, if the writ of the state was challenged.

Remand extended: An anti-terrorism court Monday extended seven-day judicial remand of motorway gang rape accused Abid Malhi and Shafat alias Bagga, as police again failed to complete challan of the case.

The court has adjourned the hearing by 25 January directing police to submit challan of the case on next hearing. It is pertinent to mention that police have failed to submit complete challan of such an important case despite more than three months have been passed.

Paragon case: An accountability court Monday adjourned the hearing of Paragon housing scam until 30 January. The court adjourned the hearing after counsel of Khawaja brothers cross examined a prosecution witness.

Both Khawaja Saad Rafique and Khawaja Salman Rafique appeared before the court and marked their attendance. According to the reference, Qaiser Amin Butt, the main accused in the Paragon scam, voluntarily disclosed the facts related to the commission of offence and requested for pardon under Section 26 of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 (NAO 1999), which was granted by the competent authority.