• ECP officials asked to spell out measures against corrupt practices in Senate polls • AG suggests party heads be allowed to ask for traceable ballot after elections
ISLAMABAD: Amid the ongoing controversy over the sale and purchase of tickets and corrupt practices in the upcoming Senate elections, the Supreme Court on Monday called Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja to explain steps the election body is putting in place to ensure free, fair and transparent elections.
“We direct the CEC and other members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to appear before the court on Tuesday and provide what scheme they have for holding the elections to guard against corrupt practices,” ordered Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed while heading a five-judge Supreme Court bench hearing a presidential reference on open ballot for Senate elections.
The Supreme Court on Monday summoned the chief election commissioner and members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on February 16 along with a proposed scheme to curb corrupt practices in Senate elections.
Karachi
February 14, 2021
The Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has found in its initial assessment that cases of gender-based violence and other human rights abuses increased across the province during the lockdown imposed to restrict the spread of Covid-19.
The SHRC held a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss the findings of the initial assessment report. The heads and representatives of different institutions and professional groups shared their experiences as well as the challenges they faced during the lockdown.
The commission observed in its assessment that Covid-19 impacted all spheres of life, and human rights is no exception; it rendered a large number of people jobless during the lockdown, causing people to face socio-economic and psychological problems.
Justice Qazi Faez Isa s mobile phone hacked, says SC
Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa s mobile phone has been hacked, the top court s public relations office said in a statement. Photo courtesy Supreme Court website/File
Supreme Court Justice Qazi Faez Isa s mobile phone has been hacked, the apex court s public relations office said on Tuesday. The cell phone of Justice Qazi Faez Isa has been hacked and there is suspicion that misguiding communication can be made from his lordship s number to anyone with ulterior motives, a press release by the Supreme Court said. Therefore, the communication purportedly made from [Justice Isa s] cell phone, which his lordship had not sent, may be treated as fake and false, it added.
The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Attorney General for Pakistan as well as the federal government through the law ministry over former Islamabad High Court judge Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui's petition against his removal by the Supreme Judicial Council.