ISLAMABAD: Following the retirement of former Pakistani chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, an age of ‘judicial activism’ at the Supreme Court came to an end, according to experts.
During his term as the top judge, the apex court was known for taking suo motu notices on nearly all matters deemed to be ‘in the public interest’ and was often the source of breaking news.
Often, decisions on these matters, including high-profile cases such as the missing persons’, Karachi law and order and the privatisation of the Pakistan Steel Mills to name a few, were considered a thorn in the government’s side. But after his exit, suo motu notices have been few and far between.
As the apex court led by a new chief concentrated its energies on purely legal matters, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) emerged as the successor to the Supreme Court of old, handing out verdicts that often went against the wishes of the government.
US repays $371m Coalition Support Fund to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The Obama administration has reimbursed $371m to Pakistan on account of pending instalment of Coalition Support Fund (CSF), official sources here said.
The amount was reimbursed before Eid Al Adha for the services rendered by Pakistan’s military to flush out militants from tribal areas adjacent to the war-torn Afghanistan.
“Yes, we have received $371m from USA on account of CSF,” advisor to finance ministry Rana Assad Amin says.
However, the official sources said that two instalments were pending for period from Jan-March and April-June 2014 of which the Obama administration reimbursed one pending instalment for Jan-March 2014 period on September 30, 2014.
According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Pakistan’s total liquid foreign reserves held by the SBP stood at $13.4008bn on October 3, 2014.
This includes $8.857bn held by the State Bank and net reserves held by banks US$4.543bn, totalling the reserves up to $13.4bn.
During the week ending 03 October 2014, SBP’s Liquid FX Reserves increased by $247m to $8,857m compared to $8,610m in the previous week. AGENCIES
