Pak govt challenges top court’s decision
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government on Thursday filed a review petition against the supreme court’s verdict over army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa’s extension of service. The petition comes five days after a new chief justice took charge of the top court.
In the petition, the Imran Khan government has pleaded the court to form a larger bench to hear the case and requested it to hold the proceedings in-camera.
As per a judgment given by the supreme court earlier this year, Bajwa would have to step down within six months.
The petition states that the court’s verdict did not take into account “important constitutional and legal” points. It further argued that the court “has been giving extensions to additional and ad hoc judges”.
The supreme court had issued its detailed verdict on the extension of the chief of the army staff on December 16.
Back on November 28, the court, in a short order, had allowed the government to grant a six-month extension to Bajwa.
In the detailed verdict penned by justice Mansoor Ali Shah, the court had stated that the bench “explored the scope of Article 243 of the constitution, reviewed the Pakistan Army Act, 1952, and the Pakistan Army Act Rules, 1954”.
TALIBAN MEET THEIR TOP LEADER IN QUETTA
Taliban members are meeting the group’s top leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada in Quetta to discuss a potential ceasefire with the US. Local media reported that a delegation of Taliban officials is in Pakistan for a week. The meetings will focus on a ceasefire offered by the US envoy for Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilzad.
PAK PM MEETS SAUDI FOREIGN MINISTER
Pakistan PM Imran Khan met Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal al-Saud on Thursday, according to Radio Pakistan.
The Saudi minister’s visit comes after media reports suggested that Riyadh had threatened the Khan government with serious repercussions if he attended a recent Islamic summit hosted by Malaysia.
Khan had initially accepted Malaysia’s invitation to attend the December 18-21 summit. But Pakistan later pulled out shortly after Khan visited Riyadh.