Punjab Home Department Appoints 13 New Special Prosecutors for May 9 Cases

DTD-June 15, 2024

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This move signifies a proactive approach by the Punjab Home Department to ensure effective legal representation and diligent pursuit of justice in these sensitive cases.

LAHORE: Significant developments have unfolded in the legal proceedings regarding the May 9 tragedy, including the Askari Tower attack, as 13 special prosecutors have been replaced in the Anti-Terrorism Court. The Punjab Home Department issued a notification announcing the appointment of new special prosecutors to handle these cases.

According to the notification, Advocate Chaudhry Armaghan Ahmad Pasha, Asif Javed Qureshi, Rao Abdul Jabbar, Advocate Arif Awan, Ilyas Habib, Malik Sarood, Rana Ashfaq, Rana Manzoor, Advocate Rana Naveed Ashiq, Rana Nauman, Shahid Mehmood Minhas, and Shahid Shaukat have been appointed as Special Prosecutors. Their primary responsibility will be to represent the government in the May 9 tragedy cases.

This move signifies a proactive approach by the Punjab Home Department to ensure effective legal representation and diligent pursuit of justice in these sensitive cases.

Sindh CM Holds Caretaker Government Responsible for Development Scheme Delays

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, in a post-budget press conference, attributed the delay in development schemes to the caretaker government. He emphasized that the province experienced a slowdown due to the closure of these schemes during the caretaker government’s tenure.

Shah highlighted a significant increase in this term’s budget, stating it is 34% higher than the previous budget. He expressed confidence in achieving budget targets and emphasized plans for further growth in the coming year.

Addressing expenditure concerns, Shah revealed that 70% of current revenue expenditure goes towards salaries. To address this, he announced a 30% salary increase for employees from grades 1 to 6, with a grade 1 civil servant’s salary set to be 37,000 rupees.

The Chief Minister outlined allocations for various schemes, including 25 billion rupees for the People’s Housing Scheme and 8 billion rupees for the Hari card initiative. Additionally, he noted the federal government’s allocation of 25 billion rupees for the K-4 project and 170 billion rupees for pipeline system construction connected to K-4.

Despite challenges in meeting growth targets for the current financial year, Shah pledged efforts to achieve a 3.5% growth rate next year. He also set a target of 350 billion rupees for the Sindh Revenue Board in the coming fiscal year.

Responding to a journalist’s question about corruption allegations, Shah refuted claims that no work could be done in Sindh without corruption and commission. He asserted that the people of Sindh have elected them, acknowledging existing problems but affirming ongoing efforts to address and rectify them.