20th January 2024 News Headlines
A summary of today's important and breaking news regarding PTI and the country that the mainstream media of Pakistan will never show you.
Justice Amer Farooq has again altered the bench assigned to hear Imran Khan's case.
Today, 168 days have passed since the illegal imprisonment of founder chairman Tehreek-e-Insaf and former prime minister Imran Khan.
Imran Khan is currently held in Adiala Jail, facing various cases, all of which are being adjudicated within the confines of the prison. Lawyers have submitted an application to the High Court requesting a change in the venue for the trials of the Tosha Khana and 190 million pounds references. This application has led to a modification in the bench today. Chief Justice Amer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri are now assigned to hear these applications on Monday, replacing the previous bench of Justice Mian Gul Hasan Aurangzeb and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir. Despite Imran Khan expressing lack of confidence in Justice Amer Farooq on multiple occasions, the latter continues to preside over the cases.
Imran Khan's application against rejection of bail in May 9 cases scheduled for hearing.
The Lahore High Court has set a hearing date for the application challenging the denial of interim bail for Chairman Imran Khan in the cases. A two-member bench led by Justice Alia Neelam is scheduled to hear the case on January 23.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s 2nd virtual Jalsa to be held today.
Today, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf hosted its second online gathering using social media, with millions of Pakistanis participating. Several senior leaders, including the acting chairman of the party, also participated in the virtual meeting. The first virtual meeting of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf attracted millions of participants from around the globe, and today, once again, millions of Imran Khan's supporters from various parts of the world are actively engaging in the event.
The judge handling the NAB cases against Imran Khan has applied for leave.
Judge Muhammad Bashir, who is hearing the cases against Chairman Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, requested leave till March 14, 2024, due to ill health. Judge Muhammad Bashir is presiding over the Tosha Khana NAB case and the Al-Qadir Trust case daily.
The main case from May 9 still awaits the submission of charges, even after an elapsed period of 8 months.
Following the conclusion of the judicial remand, 200 individuals, including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Omar Sarfaraz Cheema, Mian Mahmood-ul-Rashid, Ijaz Chaudhry, Tayaba Raja, Rubina Jameel, and Atiq Riaz, were presented before the Anti-Terrorism Court. The court extended the judicial remand for all the accused until February 3. Despite the passage of almost eight and a half months, the completion of the charges in the main case from May 9 is still pending.
Lahore Bar has applied to become a party in the appeals challenging the judgments about the trials of civilians in military courts.
Despite the court's directive on December 13 to schedule the case for the third week of January 2024, the hearing has not been arranged as per the order. The petitioner has consistently criticized the trial of civilians in military courts across various platforms. Such trials are deemed unconstitutional and contradictory to the principles of Pakistan's constitution and judicial independence. The matter of civilians being tried in military courts holds significant importance concerning fundamental rights and judicial independence.
The Lahore Bar Association, with approximately 25 thousand registered members, stands as the largest bar in Pakistan. The legal community contends that military courts are unconstitutional and pose a challenge to fundamental rights and judicial independence. The court has granted permission for the Lahore Bar Association to join as a party in the case.
Alia Hamza's appeal to the public to run her election campaign.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Alia Hamza has been illegally imprisoned for eight months. Alia Hamza is contesting elections against Hamza Shehbaz in her constituency as per the instructions of Chairman Imran Khan. Alia Hamza has appealed to the people of her constituency. "I endured nine months of imprisonment in the face of injustice and fascism. Each one of you must not only canvass for votes door-to-door on my behalf but also safeguard the vote on February 8."
Election campaign of Tehreek-e-Insaf candidates continues.
Today, a grand rally was held in Lucky Marwat under the leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Sher Afzal Marwat. Thousands of people walked through the streets and alleys to participate in the rally. From NA-56 Rawalpindi, PTI candidate Shehryar Riaz is also campaigning with full public support. In other constituencies also, the candidates started door-to-door campaigns.
The cost of onions has surpassed the one-dollar mark.
The price of onion per kg reached the highest level in the country. Citizens of Islamabad are forced to buy the most expensive onion. According to the Bureau of Statistics, onion is being sold at 320 rupees in Islamabad, 310 rupees in Rawalpindi, 270 rupees in Sialkot, 280 rupees in Peshawar and 250 rupees in Khuzdar.
The imposition of taxes on electricity bills has resulted in the extraction of billions of rupees from the pockets of consumers.
The imposition of taxes on electricity bills has emerged as a significant revenue stream for the government. Over the past three years, a total of 1410 billion rupees have been collected in this regard. According to official documents, the tax collection rate on electricity bills has doubled within two years, with collections reaching over 461 billion rupees in 2022 and 603 billion rupees in 2023. Notably, these tax collections are in addition to the actual cost of electricity.
The breakdown of the collected amounts includes 25 billion 70 crores in PTV fees, over 180 billion in income tax, and consumers contributing 89 billion 69 crores in the form of additional tax.