Three-day curfew imposed in Nushki

ISLAMABAD: Barrister Uzair Bhandari, representing Dr Uzma Khan, has clarified why Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was not initially named as a respondent in the contempt of court petition filed before the Supreme Court. Dr Uzma Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, filed the petition in connection with alleged non-compliance with a court order. Questions were subsequently raised over the absence of the interior minister from the list of respondents. In a statement shared on X, Bhandari explained that the respondents were selected on the basis of their alleged involvement, public statements and administrative responsibilities. He said Federal Ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar and Attaullah Tarar were included because they had publicly commented on the relevant court decision and the issue concerning the transfer. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also named, Bhandari said, in line with the legal principle established by the Supreme Court in the Yousaf Raza Gilani case. Under that precedent, the prime minister carries ultimate administrative responsibility for ensuring compliance with court orders. Regarding Mohsin Naqvi, the lawyer said the interior minister had not made any direct statement about the specific court decision at the time the petition was filed. As a result, there was no immediate basis for including him as a respondent. Bhandari, however, clarified that this does not prevent Naqvi from being added to the proceedings in the future. If relevant evidence emerges during the investigation, or if the Supreme Court considers it necessary, the interior minister could subsequently be made a party to the case. The lawyer also explained the inclusion of the Interior Secretary. Under the Rules of Business, 1973, the Interior Secretary serves as the administrative head of the Interior Division. The secretary was therefore named on the basis of the division’s legal and administrative responsibilities.

Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman has warned the government that his party could expand its ongoing protests into a nationwide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike if the petroleum levy is not abolished. Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Thursday, Rehman said the nationwide strike could begin after August 26, following 12th Rabiul Awwal. He said the party would also establish protest camps in different parts of the country as part of its campaign. If the government failed to respond to its demands, he warned that JI could consider marching towards Islamabad on foot. The JI chief said he would address the party’s sit-in in Lahore, while a public gathering was scheduled at its Karachi protest site on Friday. Rehman said rising inflation had placed a heavy burden on ordinary citizens. He criticised the petroleum levy, describing it as an unfair additional charge on consumers. According to him, consumers were paying around Rs80 per litre under the levy. He claimed the charge was originally introduced to support the modernisation of Pakistan’s oil refineries but that the government had collected more than Rs8 trillion through it while spending less than Rs100 billion on refinery upgrades. He called for the immediate abolition of the levy and urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reduce petrol and diesel prices by Rs130 per litre. The government recently revised fuel prices, reducing the price of high-speed diesel while increasing the price of petrol. Rehman said the JI’s protests in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar were gaining support from traders, religious scholars, young people and members of civil society. He said the demonstrations had grown beyond the petroleum levy issue and were now highlighting broader public concerns. He said JI would not attend government briefings as part of negotiations. Instead, he demanded that government representatives visit the protesters and engage with them directly. The JI leader also referred to the party’s previous campaign against independent power producers. He claimed that negotiations following that protest resulted in the closure of several power projects and new agreements that saved the national exchequer Rs3.36 trillion. He called for a review of the remaining independent power producers, arguing that negotiations could help bring down electricity costs within 12 to 18 months. Rehman also criticised the government over the country’s growing debt, taxes and electricity prices. He claimed Pakistan’s total debt had reached Rs98 trillion and urged authorities to reduce reliance on interest-based financing. He called for greater austerity in government spending and suggested limiting official vehicles to engines of up to 1,300cc. The JI emir also criticised what he described as excessive privileges for the political elite while ordinary citizens continued to face rising living costs and taxes. On provincial matters, Rehman accused successive governments in Sindh and Punjab of failing to resolve major economic and social problems. He also criticised Punjab’s education policy and raised concerns over the outsourcing of thousands of schools.