The Islamabad High Court’s judges transfer has yet to be notified, despite the Judicial Commission of Pakistan’s decision to shift Justice Mushtaq Ahmad, Justice Babar Sattar, and Justice Shahid Karim to other provincial high courts. Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Amir Farooq will continue hearing cases, while the court’s new cause list has been displayed outside the court. The transfer of judges comes after a controversy over the alleged illegal awarding of a $460 million bonus to a state-owned bank.
The Judicial Commission of Pakistan had approved the transfer of the judges in a majority decision, but the notification has yet to be issued. The transfer of Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Shah was withdrawn, while the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Umar Ata Bandial, has been appointed as the head of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General of Pakistan has said that the notification will be issued after the President’s approval. The Federal Cabinet has also approved various policy decisions, including the transfer of judges. The bane of PTI foreign funding case has been declared a principal accused, and the court’s new cause list has been displayed outside the court.
In a separate development, the Sindh government has taken action against employees found to be working on ghost positions or holding dual employment at the University of Karachi’s Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences. Nine employees have been identified as having been absent from duty for a long time or holding dual employment.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has also announced that it will not accept any reports from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), saying that the reports are completely baseless. The NAB chairman has said that the IMF will never give a clean chit to Pakistan.
In other news, the CEO of a leading company has been accused of corruption and misappropriation of funds, and the government has been criticized for its handling of the case. The CEO has denied any wrongdoing, saying that he was not given a chance to explain himself.
In a separate development, the Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has criticized the government for not completing the University Road project, despite its importance to the city of Karachi.
The UAE has announced its withdrawal from OPEC, citing economic and strategic reasons, including the need to increase oil supply to Japan.
In entertainment news, a popular Tamil singer has accused a music composer of sexual harassment and intimidation, calling him “Madras’s Epstein.”
