Appeal

The Islamabad High Court’s divisional bench, featuring Justice Gul Hassan and Justice Saman Rafat, is set to resume Imran Khan’s appeal against a jail trial in the cipher case today.

Lawyers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will present arguments as the bench, having issued a stay order until November 21, reviews the case.

Despite the government’s mention of a cabinet-approved notification for the jail trial on November 14, the court noted that the trial had commenced weeks before the notification’s issuance.

Justice Aurangzeb expressed concerns about the notifications potentially violating high court rules, emphasizing the need for comprehensive answers about the ongoing trial.

On November 16, the attorney general argued against the admissibility of the intra-court appeal but failed to produce the notification approving the jail trial. Imran Khan’s lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, committed to addressing objections raised by the attorney general during the proceedings.

Challenges Faced By Repatriated Afghans In UK Military Bases

Meanwhile,

Hundreds of Afghan refugees, swiftly relocated from Pakistan to the UK, are reportedly stranded in military bases as the government grapples with finding suitable accommodation, as per the Independent.

Evacuated due to the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021, around 3,000 Afghans, including many who served the British army, have been stuck in Pakistan since last year. Forced by Pakistan’s directive for illegal foreigners to leave by November 1, the UK repatriated them last month.

While some families found accommodation, hundreds are reportedly housed in military barracks surrounded by seven-foot-high barbed wire fences in Loughborough, Gloucestershire, Blackpool, and Staffordshire.