BJP lawmaker alleges son-in-law married 25 women

LAHORE: Government College University (GCU) Lahore has officially moved its administrative operations to a fully paperless digital system, marking a major step towards modernising governance and reducing reliance on traditional office files. The transformation has been achieved through the implementation of the e-Filing and Office Automation System, a cloud-based digital platform developed by the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB). The system has been provided to the university free of cost under special directions from the Punjab government, according to university officials. Under the new framework, administrative processes across GCU’s departments will now be handled online through a single digital platform. Routine matters such as leave applications, travel permissions, annual performance reports, official orders and departmental correspondence can now be processed electronically. The university said the system would also cover digital note sheets for proposals between departments, approval of payments for visiting faculty, purchase requests and agendas for departmental meetings. No more files moving from desk to desk One of the most significant changes will be the elimination of the traditional practice of physically moving files from one office to another. Instead, officials will be able to create, review, approve and track documents digitally through the cloud-based platform. This is expected to improve administrative efficiency while making it easier to monitor the progress of official matters. GCU Vice Chancellor Professor Muhammad Umar Chaudhry described the transition as more than an environmental initiative, saying digital governance was essential for a modern educational institution. He said moving administrative affairs away from paper would strengthen transparency, speed and accountability, while reducing delays associated with manual file tracking. According to the vice chancellor, removing routine administrative delays would allow faculty members and heads of departments to devote more time to teaching and research. Part of wider digital transformation The university said the paperless initiative is part of a broader digitalisation drive launched during the previous academic year under the vice chancellor’s leadership. Before implementing the complete e-office system, GCU had introduced online approval mechanisms for student society events and digital billing for payments to visiting faculty members. The administration is now preparing to take the process further with the planned launch of a comprehensive e-Services Portal. The upcoming platform is expected to streamline requests related to campus maintenance and other facilities. Officials hope the system will allow infrastructure-related problems to be reported and addressed more quickly without disrupting academic activities. Alumni records also going digital GCU’s digital reforms are not limited to current campus operations. The university is also working on a major project to digitise the records of its alumni, expanding technology-based management beyond day-to-day administration. The move towards a paperless campus could ultimately reduce paperwork, improve record management and provide university officials with faster access to important information. With administrative processes increasingly moving online, GCU Lahore is positioning itself as an example of how Pakistan’s public-sector universities can use digital technology to make governance faster, more transparent and more efficient.

An Islamabad District and Sessions Court has ruled in favour of Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal in a long-running defamation case against PTI leader Murad Saeed. The court ordered Murad Saeed to pay Rs2.5 million in damages for making allegations that were not proven during the proceedings. Additional Sessions Judge Hakim Khan announced the verdict after hearing the case. The court held that Murad Saeed’s statements had damaged Ahsan Iqbal’s reputation and public image. It directed the PTI leader to compensate the federal minister with Rs2.5 million. According to the judgment, Murad Saeed accused Ahsan Iqbal of being involved in corruption worth Rs70 billion. However, the court found that he failed to provide any evidence to support the allegations. The court ruled that the accusations of corruption, misuse of authority, and receiving illegal commissions were defamatory because they remained unsubstantiated. The judgment stated that Ahsan Iqbal had initially sought Rs10 billion in damages for the alleged harm caused to his reputation. However, the court observed that the amount claimed was excessive in view of the evidence presented during the trial. It therefore awarded Rs2.5 million as reasonable compensation. The court further observed that Murad Saeed’s controversial statements had harmed Ahsan Iqbal’s reputation, dignity, and credibility. It said the allegations created a negative impression of the minister among the public and directly targeted his honesty, integrity, and professional standing. The judgment also noted that Murad Saeed neither appeared before the court during the proceedings nor submitted evidence to substantiate the corruption claims. The absence of supporting material, the court said, weakened his defence and left the allegations unproven. The case originated from statements made by Murad Saeed in 2019 regarding the Multan-Sukkur Motorway project. At the time, he alleged that Ahsan Iqbal had committed corruption in connection with the project. After reviewing the evidence and hearing the arguments, the court concluded that the accusations were not established and therefore amounted to defamation. The verdict marks the conclusion of the defamation proceedings, with the court reaffirming that public allegations of corruption must be backed by credible evidence.

The Sindh government has revised the weekly schedule for schools, restoring Saturday and Sunday as official weekly holidays for all public and private educational institutions across the province. According to the School Education and Literacy Department, the updated schedule has been approved by the chief secretary and will be implemented in all government and privately managed schools. Under the new arrangement, schools will operate five days a week, from Monday to Friday. To compensate for the reduced number of working days and ensure timely completion of the academic syllabus, daily teaching hours will be extended by one additional hour. Officials said the revised timetable aims to maintain the pace of academic activities while providing students and teachers with a two-day weekend. The latest decision replaces an earlier directive issued last month, under which all public and private schools in Sindh had been instructed to observe a six-day working week from August 1, with classes scheduled from Monday to Saturday. The change comes shortly after educational institutions resumed classes following the two-month summer vacation, which lasted from June 1 to July 31. Education authorities said the revised schedule will apply uniformly across the province and schools have been directed to implement the updated working days and teaching hours accordingly.