High Asia Report GILGIT:  An accountability court on Tuesday accepted the application of Shah Salim Khan, a former member of Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly for bargain to pay Rs51 million he had embezzled in Sost Dry Port scam. Justice Khurshid Ahmed of the Accountability Court Gilgit approved the plea bargain on the recommendation of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regional office. The …

GILGIT: Four more prisoners were released from Damas jail in Ghizer District on Friday. According to a notification issued by the Home Department of Gilgit-Baltistan, the authorities have issued release order of Aleemuallah Khan, Musa Khan, Irfan Ali and Shukrullah Baig. The interim government/home department with the consent of presiding Judge of Anti-Terrorism Court has ordered the release of the …

By Amir Roshan As the sit-in and protests for the release of Awami Workers Party (AWP) leaders Baba Jan, Aleem Ahmed, Iftikhar Karbalai, and 11 other imprisoned comrades continue, more people pour into Aliabad to join the main dharna and express solidarity with the families and friends of the prisoners. The sit-in that started at Aliabad, the main town of …

Political leaders, media and human rights bodies condemn the abduction of the senior journalist   Herald Report   Islamabad: Journalist Matiullah Jan returned home late Tuesday night, nearly 12 hours after he was abducted from Sector G-6, a highly secured locality of the capital city in broad daylight, family sources said. Earlier on Tuesday, Matiullah Jan, known for his criticism …

Ruhollah Zam, an Iranian journalist and activist whose online work helped inspire nationwide economic protests in 2017, has been sentenced to death for his actions following what Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called a “grossly unfair” trial. A Revolutionary Court “considered that the 13 charges [against Zam] were the equivalent of the charge of spreading ‘corruption on earth’ and therefore passed the death …

Herald Report Islamabad: Pakistan’s top court on Friday threw out the presidential reference against senior judge Justice Qazi Faez Isa in a case that was widely seen as pitting the country’s judiciary against its government and powerful armed forces. “[The reference] is declared to be of no legal effect whatsoever and stands quashed,” read the majority (9-1) short verdict on …

Herald Report Activists of women’s and human rights organisations have condemned misogynist, sexist and provocative rants of government’s top lawyer and sought an unconditional apology from him. In a joint statement, activists of women’s rights, literary, cultural, youth, and legal groups, academia, have expressed outraged and condemned the highly derogatory, inflammatory, sexist, and misogynist remarks made the other day by …

Anwar Hussain was facing a corruption reference in an accountability court      Herald Correspondent GILGIT: Officials of the anti-graft watchdog have arrested a court absconder in Gilgit-Baltistan on charges of corruption. According to a press statement issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), its officials have arrested Anwar Hussain from Nilt, Nagar. He was presented before a judge of …

Herald Special Correspondent ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s top court on Tuesday put on notice the advocate general and government of Gilgit-Baltistan on a petition filed by the Federal government seeking an amendment to the election laws to hold polls in the region. The seven-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, issued notice to the GB government and its top counsel for Thursday to …

Ismat Shahjehan, president Women Democratic Front holding Mashal Khan’s portrait and other activists at the Student Solidarity March at Islamabad on Friday.–Photo by PrSF by Waseem Altaf   Mashal Khan was my friend on Facebook and would often ask me to recommend him books for reading. He was lynched to death by a group of religious fanatics on this day …

Today is the 41st anniversary of the hanging of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the first elected Prime Minister of Pakistan By Waseem Altaf Military dictator Ziaul Haq imposed martial law in Pakistan on July 5, 1977. Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and all his cabinet ministers were arrested and assemblies dissolved. The constitution was suspended and civil rights set aside. The validity …

Tribal mindset has taken over society, says CJ Minallah, emphasizing that  it is important to see Aurat March in a positive light   High Asia Herald Report   The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday dismissed a petition seeking a ban on the Aurat March, scheduled for Sunday, to mark the International Women Day. “In our society, various Islamic laws …

The laws that were created by the British Raj are still being used to stifle dissent on the Indian subcontinent, writes Dr Ammar Ali Jan in Al-Jazeera’s online news page. by Ammar Ali Jan   It appears to be sedition season on the Indian subcontinent. A relic of the colonial era, the sedition law has become a potent weapon in the …

High Asia Herald Report Islamabad: The government’s top counsel on Thursday resigned from his post. He submitted his resignation to President Arif Alvi, media reports said. In his resignation letter, Khan said: “I note with profound regret that the Pakistan Bar Council, of which I am the Chairman, has demanded through its press release dated 19th of February 2020 that …

Two references are under trial in a NAB court in Gilgit against the accused for their role in Rs48.28m   Herald Report   The country’s top anti-graft body has filed a corruption reference against four retired officers of the Gilgit-Baltistan’s Forest Department for inflicting over Rs48 million loss to the national exchequer by allowing the transportation of illegally cut timber. …