Protests erupt in Bologna after man’s death during police restraint

Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has strongly criticised the government over rising fuel prices, heavy taxation and electricity costs. Addressing participants at the party’s sit-in in Lahore, Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the government was putting an increasing financial burden on ordinary citizens. He demanded the immediate withdrawal of the recent increase in petrol and diesel prices. He said the petroleum levy had no direct connection with the actual price of petrol. He questioned the justification for repeatedly increasing fuel prices and said the government was making life more difficult for the public. “The government drops a petrol bomb on us every day,” he said. Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also criticised the government’s policies regarding independent power producers (IPPs). He alleged that successive governments had entered into unfair agreements with IPPs in the name of ending load-shedding. According to him, the government was now passing the cost of its own shortcomings on to the people through higher taxes. He said citizens were already struggling with expensive electricity and gas bills. The Jamaat-e-Islami leader said heavy taxes were being imposed on electricity and gas bills. He argued that such charges were increasing household expenses and adding to the difficulties faced by ordinary consumers. Hafiz Naeemur Rehman further said the government had shut down five of the 27 IPPs. He referred to the government’s own claim that the move would provide a benefit of Rs3,360 billion to the national exchequer. He questioned why similar measures could not be taken to provide lasting relief to consumers. He said the government should focus on reducing electricity costs instead of continuously increasing taxes and other charges. The Jamaat-e-Islami emir also criticised the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). He alleged that corruption within the tax collection system remained widespread. He called for greater transparency and accountability in government institutions. He said economic policies should be designed to provide relief to the public rather than increase their financial difficulties.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that all appeals and bail petitions filed under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law will now be heard by the Federal Constitutional Court. The judgment clarifies that the Supreme Court no longer has jurisdiction over these matters following amendments made to the accountability law earlier this year. In its detailed written verdict, the court stated that the legal amendments introduced to the NAB law have transferred the authority to hear appeals and bail applications from the Supreme Court to the Federal Constitutional Court. The judges observed that Sections 32 and 32A of the amended NAB law do not empower the Supreme Court to hear such cases. The ruling further states that all pending NAB appeals and bail petitions currently before the Supreme Court will automatically be treated as transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court under the relevant constitutional provisions. This means future proceedings in accountability cases will be conducted by the newly established constitutional forum. The decision also has significant implications for the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who had challenged a High Court decision regarding his bail before the Supreme Court. His petition had earlier been returned by the Supreme Court Registrar after procedural objections were raised. Following the latest judgment, his bail application will now be heard by the Federal Constitutional Court. The question of jurisdiction emerged during proceedings in another pending NAB case before the Supreme Court. During the hearing, the bench examined whether the court could continue hearing accountability matters after the recent amendments to the NAB law. The amendments, enacted on March 5, 2026, reassigned the authority to hear NAB appeals and bail petitions to the Federal Constitutional Court through Section 32A of the amended law. The changes were introduced as part of broader judicial and constitutional reforms. The case was heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, with Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan as members of the bench. During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the Supreme Court should retain the power to hear bail applications in NAB cases. He referred to an earlier post-amendment decision in which the Supreme Court had granted bail in an accountability matter. Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, representing the federal government, argued that all NAB appeals and bail petitions should now be heard exclusively by the Federal Constitutional Court. He maintained that different stages of the same case could not be heard simultaneously by two separate courts, as this would create legal complications and procedural inconsistencies.