Ex-Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk named Pakistan's caretaker PM
Islamabad, May 28: Former Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk was announced as Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister on Monday.
The announcement was made by opposition leader Khursheed Shah at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq.
"We have selected a candidate for caretaker Premier who will prove to play a democratic role in the upcoming general election," Abbasi said, adding "every name was discussed, and this name was decided upon. It's a name no one can point fingers at".
"No one's name was discarded... We have chosen his name on the basis of merit," Shah said.
It took the government and the opposition six meetings to decide on a name for the coveted position. Earlier, there was a lack of consensus between both sides, with many believing the issue would be sent to a parliamentary committee for deliberation, Dawn online reported.
Justice Mulk has served as the 22nd Chief Justice of Pakistan. He performed the duties of acting Chief Election Commissioner from November 30, 2013, to July 6, 2014.
He is one of the seven judges who signed a restraining order on November 3, 2007, when former President Pervez Musharraf imposed emergency and forcibly sent the judges home.
Justice Mulk is also remembered for the way he conducted a contempt case against former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.
He has held the office of the chairman of the enrolment committee of the Pakistan Bar Council as well as the chairman of the building committee of the under-construction Supreme Court Bar Association complex.
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Telangana Urdu daily publishes blank editorial in protest against Congress government
Hyderabad: Telangana-based Urdu daily The Munsif Daily has published a blank editorial in protest against the Congress-led state government's alleged decision to freeze government advertisements. The newspaper claims it is being targeted for its critical coverage of the government's shortcomings.
Comparing the move to the Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi in the 1970s, the daily accused the Congress government, led by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, of attempting to suppress press freedom.
A Congress spokesperson told NDTV that the government had reduced spending on newspaper advertisements and that it was the government's prerogative to decide whom to support.
In a statement, *Munsif* Executive Editor Ather Moin said the newspaper had reported on communal unrest under the Congress rule, highlighting police failures and the state's inaction. It covered issues such as the demolition of an abandoned mosque in Chilkur, the removal of dupattas from minority schoolgirls' uniforms, and the government's failure to protect Waqf properties. The daily also raised concerns about delayed salaries for imams and muezzins, non-payment of stipends for divorced women, and the absence of a Muslim representative in the Telangana cabinet.
"If the Revanth government expects us to convince our readers that Telangana has turned into a land of milk and honey under Congress rule, then that is something we cannot do," the statement read. "Instead, we shall continue to ask: Why have lands turned barren? Why has starvation forced the poor to the brink? Why have helpless daughters been violated?"
The editorial also criticised Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, recalling his 2023 statement in Washington about press freedom being under threat in India. It claimed that while several Urdu newspapers had criticised the Modi government without facing ad revocations, the Congress government in Telangana was punishing Munsif for its reportage.
"In 1975, Indira Gandhi tried to silence the press—and failed. Today, her party is repeating history. But let it be known: The pen is still mightier than the sword. Journalism in India will not be silenced," the statement added.
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