SC rejects plea to stay August order on sacked employees
The Supreme Court on Thursday, November 11, rejected a review petition submitted by 16,000 sacked government employees calling for a stay on implementing the apex court’s August judgment. Justice Qazi Amin stated that Pakistan is not a country of 16,000, but of 220 million. He also noted that there is a serious issue of transparency and merit in the case.
Shuhada package approved for policemen martyred by TLP
The Punjab Cabinet Committee on Shuhada Package on Wednesday, November 10, approved Shaheed Package II for the families of the five policemen killed in violent clashes with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) this October.
In the committee meeting chaired by provincial Law Minister Basharat Raja, the package was approved for the families of head constable Muhammad Imtiaz, and constables Jalil Haider, Muhammad Qaiser, Imtiaz Ahmed and Muhammad Waqas Azeem.
Shaheed Package II is given to the immediate relatives of those police personnel who are martyred by criminals. Each head constable and constable will be given a lump sum amount of Rs. 4 million and Rs13.5 million in the price of a house. The package also offers full pay and allowances to the victim’s heirs, free education for their children and recruitment of one family member in the police force.
Opposition objects to Govt-TTP talks
Opposition members of the Senate on Wednesday questioned the government’s decision to maintain secrecy over negotiations with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) until recently, forgoing parliamentary procedures.
Former Senate Chair, PPP’s Mian Raza Rabbani held that it was the parliament’s mandate to decide on holding talks with a banned outfit, regretting that instead parliament was made irrelevant this way. He also called attention to the sudden postponement of a joint session, called by President Arif Alvi, at the eleventh hour.