All state organs should act within domains stipulated by constitution: PM

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that all state organs should act within the domains stipulated by constitution for a smooth and effective working of democratic system.

In a tweet on Thursday, he said it was also the core of his argument during the speech at the National Assembly.

Shehbaz Sharif said we will be moving in a circle getting nowhere without understanding it.

 The core of my argument during my speech at NA was that for a democratic system to work smoothly & effectively, it is important that all state organs act within the domains stipulated by Constitution. Without understanding this, we will be moving in a circle, getting nowhere.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 28, 2022

PTI finalises Sibtain Khan's name for Punjab Assembly speaker's post

The PTI has finalised the name of the former provincial minister for forestry, wildlife and fisheries Sibtain Khan for the post of speaker of the Punjab Assembly.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday declared the ruling of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari in the Punjab chief minister's election "illegal", and ruled that PTI's candidate Pervez Elahi will be the new CM of the province.

Following the verdict, PML-N's Hamza Shahbaz was removed from office with immediate effect and the Punjab cabinet was dissolved. The court also declared that all the appointments carried out under Hamza's rule null and void.

According to the sources, Sibtain's name was finalised during a meeting between PTI Chairperson Imran Khan and CM Elahi. The party chairperson will also seek the opinions of other leaders regarding his choice of candidate.

Meanwhile, the speaker's office in the Punjab Assembly has been turned into the chief minister's office for Elahi.

The old office for the chief minister has been turned into the speaker's office.

Haleem Adil Sheikh Arrested From Jamshoro

Opposition Leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh has been arrested by a team of anti-corruption establishment from Jamshoro.

The PTI leader Haleem Adil Sheikh went to an anti-corruption court in Jamshoro to appear before it, however, the ACE team arrested him from outside the premise.

An associate of the PTI leader accompanying him at the time of the arrest said that they went to the court to file their replies in the case. “We went to join the probe but they arrested him in another case registered against him,” he said.

He added that Haleem Adil is currently being kept at a police station and the police have shown them a letter from anti-corruption East Karachi on which orders the arrest was made.

 

Banning me from Punjab will result in governor’s rule: Sanaullah

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that any ban on his or other ministers’ entry into Punjab would lead to governor rule in the country’s most powerful province.

Sanaullah warned of imposing governor's rule in Punjab after the Supreme Court removed Hamza Shahbaz as the chief minister and instated Imran Khan-backed Pervez Elahi to the top office.

"The summary to impose governor's rule is being drafted, and I personally have started work on it," Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a press conference.

The interior minister said if his entry into Punjab is banned, it might lead to the imposition of the governor's rule in Pakistan's most populated province as PTI leaders had suggested prohibiting his entry in Punjab.

The interior minister’s statement came in response to reporters’ query over the new Punjab government’s apparent plans to impose an embargo on a few federal ministers including Rana Sanaullah in an effort to pressurise the federal government to call early elections.

The interior minister said that the SC's decision will lead to further deterioration in the political arena which is a major reason for the rupee's fast depreciation.

Sanaullah added that after the no-confidence motion against former prime minister Imran Khan was successful, the PML-N opined for moving towards snap polls, indicating that the coalition partners did not agree.

He also added that once general polls take place, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will come back to the country and lead the election campaigns.

"But now, the federal government is a government of coalition partners, and this coalition has formed governments in Sindh and Balochistan. The federal government has its own significance," he said.

President Alvi administers oath to Pervez Elahi as CM Punjab

Hours after the Supreme Court struck down Punjab Assembly deputy speaker’s ruling, President Dr Arif Alvi administered the oath of Punjab chief minister to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi at the President House.

Earlier, it was decided to host the swearing-in ceremony at the Governor House but to the Punjab governor's dismay, the ceremony was shifted to President House, Islamabad following his refusal to administer oath.

Elahi reached Islamabad at 1am on Wednesday morning to take the oath of office via a special flight from Lahore. Elahi was declared the chief minister elect by a Supreme Court ruling on Tuesday, which said that he should take oath of office by 11:30pm. The ruling said that if the Punjab governor did not administer the oath, Elahi would be sworn in by the president.

On the journey from Lahore, Elahi was accompanied by Zain Qureshi, Mian Mahmoodur Rashid, Murad Ras and Chaudhry Wajahat.

Constitution's rule accepted, people's mandate respected today: Qureshi

Following the verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to instate PTI's candidate Pervez Elahi as the chief minister of Punjab, the party's senior vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that "today, the Constitution's rule has been accepted and the Pakistani people's mandate has been respected".

"On July 17, the people of Pakistan accepted Imran Khan's narrative wholeheartedly and we reject this imported government," the ex-foreign minister said in a press conference.

A three-member bench of the Supreme Court today declared Deputy Speaker Dost Muhammad Mazari's ruling in the Punjab Chief Minister election "illegal" and ruled that Pervez Elahi will be the new CM of the province.

The Supreme Court's short order declared Pervez Elahi as the duly elected chief minister of Punjab as it ruled that he had obtained 186 votes compared to Hamza's 179.

The order also declared that the oath of office administered to Hamza was "without lawful authority and of no legal effect".

Berating the deputy speaker's ruling, Qureshi said Mazari "trampled the Constitution and did not follow the principles", adding that he did not care about the law.

He said that the judiciary tolerated the criticism with patience and fulfilled its responsibility. "The coalition government tried to employ delaying tactics to intimidate the judiciary."

Qureshi said that the decision has proved that Pakistan's judiciary is independent.

Former minister for planning and development Asad Umar said that Pakistan's politics has taken a new direction.

"There was a foreign conspiracy, however, Imran Khan did not bow before anyone or tolerate anyone's dictation," he said.

PTI's Senator Faisal Javed termed the decision as Imran Khan's victory and said that the decision was according to the law and Constitution, adding that the party wants the general elections to be announced immediately.

Tech giants to self-regulate in reducing harmful content in New Zealand

Big tech companies agreed on Monday to reduce harmful online content in New Zealand, making a move that critics said dodged the alternative of government regulation.

Meta Platforms Inc, Alphabet-owned Google, TikTok, Amazon.com Inc and Twitter had signed a code of practice, said Netsafe, a government-funded internet-safety group.

The companies would follow the code as self-regulation, Netsafe chief Brent Carey said in a statement.

"There are too many Kiwis being bullied, harassed, and abused online, which is why the industry has rallied together to protect users," Carey said in a statement.

Industry lobby group NZTech will be responsible for the companies meeting obligations, which include reducing harmful content online, reporting how they do that and supporting independent evaluation of results.

"We hope the governance framework will enable it to evolve alongside local conditions, while at the same time respecting the fundamental rights of freedom of expression," said NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller.

Meta and TikTok said in statements they were enthusiastic about the code making online platforms safer and more transparent.

Interest groups want more detail, however - for example, about sanctions for any failure by the companies to comply and about a mechanism for public complaints.

They also point to the pact being administered by an industry body, not the government.

"This is a weak attempt to preempt regulation – in New Zealand and overseas – by promoting an industry-led model," Mandy Henk, chief executive of Tohatoha NZ, a non-profit organisation that lobbies on the social impact of technology, said in a statement.

The framework that the companies agreed to is called the Aotearoa New Zealand Code of Practice for Online Safety and Harms.

New Zealand has been a leader in trying to stamp out violent extremism online. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron in 2019 launched a global initiative to end online hate.