Strong Baht May Deter Tourist Spending, Impact Forward Bookings

The mystery surrounding the death of young businessman Mir Raza Ali Khan remains unresolved as investigators continue to examine evidence, while the victim’s family insists he was murdered and has raised questions about the findings of the preliminary medical report. Mir Raza’s father, Hussain Raza, has rejected the possibility of suicide. He claimed his son was killed and alleged that attempts were being made to present the case as a suicide. He expressed concern over the medical report, saying it mentioned only the gunshot injury and did not describe what he believes were signs of physical violence on his son’s body. According to the father, Mir Raza had injuries on his face, hands and other parts of his body. He also claimed his son was shot from behind and questioned why the report did not include details of the alleged injuries. He further asked investigators to explain what happened during the period between his son’s disappearance on July 28 and the recovery of his body the following day. He said Mir Raza had spoken to his sister before leaving home and appeared to be in good spirits. The taxi driver who transported him also reportedly told investigators that Mir Raza seemed relaxed and was listening to music during the journey. The family has appealed to senior authorities for a transparent and impartial investigation. The investigation has made further progress with the recovery of another CCTV recording showing Mir Raza’s movements before his death. The footage reportedly captures him taking his mobile phone out of his pocket and throwing it away. Investigators are conducting forensic and technical analysis of the video to determine its significance. Police said the preliminary medical examination found that Mir Raza died from a gunshot wound to the chest. However, the firearm used in the incident and the spent bullet casing have not yet been recovered, leaving investigators without key physical evidence. As part of the ongoing investigation, police are also looking into Mir Raza’s financial dealings. Initial inquiries suggest he had borrowed money from several individuals. Authorities are preparing a list of those people and are questioning them to determine whether any financial dispute may have contributed to the incident. Investigators have so far included 12 individuals in the inquiry and recorded statements from 15 people connected to the case. Earlier CCTV footage showed Mir Raza leaving his shop in Bahadurabad during the early hours after taking a security guard’s pistol from a drawer. He later returned home, where he left behind his car, smartwatch, house keys and Rs39,000 before booking an online taxi. Further footage showed him traveling alone to Gulistan-e-Jauhar. Investigators believe he switched off his mobile phone near Johar Mor before reaching Block 2, where he was last traced.

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir Election Commission has ordered re-polling at 23 polling stations in two constituencies of Bagh district following disruptions during the third phase of the AJK elections. Re-polling will take place on August 15. It will cover nine polling stations in LA-15 Bagh Central and 14 polling stations in LA-16 Bagh East. The decision was taken after voting at several polling stations either failed to start on time or was disrupted and later cancelled. The four constituencies of Bagh and Haveli went to the polls on August 10. Elections in other parts of Poonch Division had earlier been delayed because of law and order concerns. In LA-15, PPP candidate Sardar Ziaul Qamar was leading according to unofficial results. He had secured 16,637 votes. PML-N candidate Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas was in second place with 15,015 votes. Jamaat-i-Islami candidate Brigadier (retd) Dr Mohammad Khan had received 12,259 votes. The nine polling stations scheduled for re-polling have more than 5,000 registered voters. Their votes could have a significant impact on the final result. Former AJK prime minister Sardar Tanveer Ilyas, who contested the constituency on the PTI ticket in the 2021 election, appeared to have fallen out of contention. A close contest was also reported in LA-16 Bagh East. PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar was leading with 19,515 votes. PPP candidate Sardar Qamaruz Zaman had secured 16,290 votes. The 14 polling stations where re-polling has been ordered reportedly account for around 7,200 votes. Meanwhile, the Election Commission announced the preliminary result for LA-14 Dhirkot. Sajid Iqbal Abbasi of the Awami Dast-o-Bazu Party defeated Muslim Conference president Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan. Abbasi secured 40,522 votes, while Attique received 19,637 votes. The result marked a major setback for the Muslim Conference, which has historically been one of the region’s prominent political parties. The result of LA-17 Haveli also became controversial. PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz demanded a recount and alleged irregularities in election documents. Aziz claimed that Form-24 documents from different polling stations had been altered. Election officials began examining the complaint. Ballot papers and other election material were also reportedly moved under security to Muzaffarabad for further counting and verification. Aziz called on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to support a recount. He claimed that results signed by presiding officers showed him leading by around 8,600 votes. However, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan, citing the Election Commission, reported that PPP candidate and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore had won the LA-17 seat. The AJK elections are being held in three phases. The polls have taken place amid political tensions and law and order concerns in several parts of the region. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz has so far secured 24 seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party has won 10 constituencies, according to the available results. The first two phases also witnessed allegations of electoral irregularities, clashes and political disputes. Both major parties have traded accusations over the conduct of the elections. The third phase was originally planned across all 11 constituencies of Poonch Division. However, voting was allowed only in Bagh and Haveli because of security concerns.

Pakistani student Diya Aneel Bhatia has reportedly achieved a major academic distinction by securing 10 distinctions in the three-year LLB (Honours) programme of the University of London. Bhatia belongs to Jamshoro, Sindh, and is studying at a private law college in Islamabad. She secured the highest marks worldwide in the programme, according to the information shared at a ceremony held in her honour. Her achievement was celebrated at a special ceremony at the Islamabad School of Law. Faculty members from the University of London also attended the event. They congratulated Bhatia and praised her academic performance. The ceremony also recognised other high-performing students. Shields were presented to the students for their outstanding results. Bhatia was among the students honoured for her exceptional performance. Her achievement has brought attention to the academic potential of Pakistani students studying international degree programmes. It has also highlighted the growing participation of Pakistani students in global legal education. Bhatia’s success has been particularly noted because of the number of distinctions she achieved during the LLB programme. Her performance placed her among the top-performing students internationally. Education experts and academics praised her achievement. They described it as a source of pride for Pakistan and an encouragement for other young students. Bhatia has also expressed her desire to use her education for a wider social purpose. She said she wants to work for Pakistani women, particularly women from minority communities. She aims to support women through education, legal awareness and greater access to opportunities. Her goal, she said, is to contribute to the empowerment of women and help them build stronger futures.