Border Clashes Escalate as Cambodian Rockets Strike Surin’s Ta Kwai Area

QUETTA: A wave of violence and tragic accidents swept across Balochistan on Tuesday, as authorities recovered six bullet-riddled bodies from four districts while eight more people, including two women, lost their lives in separate incidents of gunfire, a roadside explosion, a fuel tanker fire and a deadly road crash. According to police officials, the bodies of six unidentified men were recovered from Kalat, Mastung, Panjgur and Kharan, prompting multiple investigations into the killings. Three of the bodies were discovered in different areas of Kalat district. Two were found dumped in the Rej locality after local authorities received information from residents, while another body was recovered from the Chhapar area. All three were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital for identification, but officials said their identities had not yet been established. In Mastung, police recovered another unidentified man’s body from the Jungle area after receiving reports from local residents. Preliminary investigations suggest the deceased may have been a drug addict, though authorities said the exact cause and circumstances of his death are still being examined. The fifth body was found in Nowan Kur, Panjgur, where police believe the victim was shot dead by unidentified attackers before his body was abandoned. In Kharan, authorities recovered the body of a man who had reportedly been abducted by armed men two days earlier after they stormed his home. His body was later found on the outskirts of the city with bullet wounds. Separate incidents elsewhere in the province added to the death toll. In Kalat’s Mangochar area, unidentified gunmen opened fire on a family travelling from Zhob to Karachi after their driver allegedly failed to stop at a signal. Two women were killed in the attack, while a child sustained injuries and was taken to hospital. Meanwhile, an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated near the N-65 National Highway in Mastung, killing a driver and injuring five others. The explosion severely damaged an LPG tanker and two trailers. In Quetta, two people were burned to death after an oil tanker caught fire at a petrol pump near Sariab Customs. In another tragedy, three people were killed in a head-on collision between two vehicles on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway in the Surab area. Police have launched investigations into the shootings and explosions, while authorities continue efforts to identify the unidentified victims and determine those responsible for the attacks.

Islamabad: A Senate committee has raised serious questions over the functioning of the Council of Common Interests (CCI), warning that constitutional powers given to provinces after the 18th Amendment are being weakened through the revival of federal ministries on devolved subjects. The Senate Standing Committee on Devolution expressed concern that ministries related to education, health, agriculture, food security, climate change and other provincial matters were recreated at the federal level despite their transfer to provinces under the constitutional process. The committee questioned why federal institutions were continuing to handle matters that were supposed to belong to provinces after the 18th Constitutional Amendment, calling for a review of the entire system. The meeting was held at Parliament House, Islamabad, where Senator Zamir Hussain Ghumro presided over the session. Senators Poonjo Bheel and Jan Muhammad Buledi also attended the meeting. Senator Ghumro said that under the 18th Amendment, a detailed process was completed in 2010 and 2011 to transfer powers from the federal government to provinces. He explained that notifications issued on December 2, 2010, April 15, 2011, and June 29, 2011 resulted in the devolution of 17 ministries dealing with subjects that were shifted to provincial control. According to Senator Ghumro, the recreation of ministries after June 30, 2011, on subjects already transferred to provinces was against the spirit of the Constitution. He specifically pointed towards areas including education, health, national food security, culture, climate change, housing, social initiatives, EOBI, Evacuee Trust matters and Zakat and Ushr related functions. The senator argued that creating federal structures for provincial subjects has increased government expenses at a time when Pakistan is facing financial pressure. He claimed that federal government expenditure has increased to around Rs19,000 billion, while the country’s total tax and non tax revenue stands near Rs20,000 billion. Senator Ghumro said that apart from defence requirements due to security challenges, other federal ministries should have limited budgets according to constitutional responsibilities. He suggested that reducing unnecessary federal administrative structures could save around Rs5,000 to Rs6,000 billion and help reduce dependence on foreign loans. The committee also raised concerns about the ineffective role of the Council of Common Interests, a constitutional body responsible for resolving issues between the federation and provinces. Senator Ghumro said the CCI’s permanent secretariat was not functioning effectively and stressed that the institution must be strengthened to protect provincial rights. The committee decided to form a subcommittee to examine alleged violations related to the implementation of the 18th Amendment, including the revival of ministries and the role of the CCI. Senator Poonjo Bheel said that ministries created on devolved subjects should be abolished because the matter had already been settled through the constitutional process. Senator Jan Muhammad Buledi said the subcommittee should not only review the recreated ministries but also examine why the CCI had become ineffective despite having an important constitutional role. The committee also directed the Establishment Division to avoid making appointments in departments dealing with devolved subjects and ensure that provincial representation is protected in government appointments and promotions. Officials were asked to provide details of appointments in different grades within two weeks and submit a compliance report within 15 days. It emphasized that the federal government should support provinces rather than reduce their constitutional benefits. The committee also reviewed the issue of the Rs46 billion allocation for Quaid-e-Azam’s Mausoleum, which was not released last year and was reportedly transferred to another ministry. The committee directed authorities to provide monthly progress reports regarding the development and maintenance of Mazar-e-Quaid. The committee further sought details about the tenure of federal secretaries and directed the Establishment Division to submit complete records.

Senior leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) held a high-level meeting in Muzaffarabad on Thursday to defuse growing political tensions over the ongoing Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections. The meeting came after days of heated exchanges between the two coalition partners following the Mirpur election. The PPP had accused the electoral process of being marred by widespread irregularities and raised concerns over the credibility of the results. According to sources, the talks were aimed at preventing the election dispute from affecting the working relationship between the two parties in the federal coalition government. The meeting was reportedly arranged after consultations at the federal level. Some sources claimed that the initiative received support from both the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s Office. However, this could not be independently verified. The PPP delegation included Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nadeem Afzal Chan, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore and Nayyar Bukhari. They met with senior PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah and Amir Muqam. During the meeting, both sides openly discussed their concerns over statements made during the election campaign and after the announcement of the Mirpur results. PML-N leaders asked the PPP to present evidence supporting its allegations of organised election rigging. In response, PPP leaders said their objections were limited to four constituencies — LA-5, LA-9, LA-11 and LA-12 — where they believe serious irregularities took place. PML-N leaders argued that by restricting its objections to only four constituencies, the PPP had effectively accepted the results of the remaining nine seats. They noted that PML-N won five of those seats, while the PPP secured four. After detailed discussions, both parties agreed that political tensions should not be allowed to escalate further. They also agreed that the dispute should not affect the remaining phases of the AJK elections. The meeting also reviewed security arrangements for polling in the remaining constituencies, particularly in Muzaffarabad. Both parties agreed that no individual should be allowed to carry weapons inside or around polling stations. They stressed that strict security measures were necessary to ensure peaceful, transparent and orderly polling. Political observers view the meeting as the first major reconciliation effort by the two coalition partners to contain the election dispute