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JHELUM: In a major security lapse, armed men intercepted a prison van on the busy GT Road near Mandra and forcibly freed a murder suspect who was being taken back to District Jail Jhelum after appearing in court. The escape involved Malik Hamad, who is facing a murder case registered with Saddar Beruni police. He had initially been held at Adiala Central Jail before being transferred to Jhelum following the recovery of a mobile phone and other prohibited items during a surprise inspection. Hamad was brought to Rawalpindi on Tuesday for a court hearing. While the prison van was returning to Jhelum, it slowed near Galaxy Hotel at Bacha Stop, where another vehicle approached the van. According to sources, the occupants told prison officials that Hamad’s mother was seriously ill and requested a brief meeting with him. Taking advantage of the confusion, several armed men surrounded the van with their vehicles, pulled Hamad out and escaped. The incident immediately triggered a security alert, with senior police and jail officials rushing to the location. Police teams were subsequently formed to track down and arrest the escaped suspect. The incident has raised fresh concerns about the security arrangements for transporting prisoners. It comes weeks after 14 high-risk prisoners escaped from another prison van while returning from Kahuta in late June. All of them were later recaptured following an extensive search operation, while cases were registered against the policemen responsible for their security. Following that escape, Rawalpindi police introduced new standard operating procedures aimed at strengthening prisoner transportation security. The latest incident, however, has renewed questions about whether those measures are being properly implemented. Four policemen reportedly assigned to guard Hamad have been detained for questioning. Sources also claimed that the suspect had links with an influential individual associated with a private housing society. Despite the seriousness of the incident, senior police officials declined to comment publicly, while a search operation to recapture Hamad remained underway.

WASHINGTON: Pakistan needs to improve transparency in its public finances and give Parliament and citizens earlier access to key budget and debt information, according to a new US State Department assessment. The department’s 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report said Pakistan had made progress in making financial information publicly available but still faced important gaps, particularly in the timely release of its proposed budget and disclosure of government liabilities. The report noted that Pakistan’s approved budget and year-end financial reports were easily accessible to the public, including online. However, it found that the government did not release its executive budget proposal within a reasonable timeframe. According to the assessment, publishing the proposed budget earlier would give lawmakers and the public more time to examine the government’s spending and revenue priorities before the document is formally approved. The report also raised concerns over limited public information about government debt, especially liabilities linked to major state-owned enterprises. Greater disclosure, it said, would help provide a clearer picture of the country’s financial position and allow Parliament to better assess potential fiscal risks. Despite these shortcomings, the US assessment acknowledged that Pakistan’s publicly available budget documents contained substantial information on planned government revenues and expenditures, including income from natural resources. Pakistan’s auditing system also received a largely positive assessment. The report said financial information was generally reliable and subject to review by the country’s supreme audit institution, which it found to have an appropriate level of independence under international standards. Audit findings were also made available to the public within a reasonable period. The report found that Pakistan had established legal procedures for awarding natural resource extraction contracts and licences and appeared to follow those rules in practice. It also noted that information on public procurement contracts was accessible and described the legal framework governing the country’s sovereign wealth fund as sound. The State Department identified three major areas where Pakistan could further strengthen fiscal transparency: releasing the executive budget proposal on time, providing more detailed information about government debt, including state-owned enterprise liabilities, and bringing military and intelligence budgets under adequate parliamentary or civilian oversight. Overall, the report did not portray Pakistan’s financial system as broadly opaque. Instead, it recognised several areas of progress while calling for stronger parliamentary scrutiny and greater disclosure of information that could help lawmakers and the public understand the country’s fiscal risks.

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has assured the family of murdered businessman Mir Raza that the investigation will be conducted fairly and that those responsible for any police or medico-legal lapses will face action once the case is concluded. Speaking to reporters at the Arts Council Karachi on Tuesday, the chief minister said the proposed judicial commission was not meant to investigate the murder itself. He explained that the police were responsible for probing the killing, while the commission was intended to examine shortcomings in the handling of the case by police and medico-legal authorities. Murad said the provincial government had initially discussed the commission with Mir Raza’s parents through the home minister and Karachi mayor, and the family had agreed to the proposal. However, after the family later withdrew its support, the government respected their decision. Meanwhile, investigators have received the chemical analysis report from Mir Raza’s first post-mortem, which reportedly detected traces of acid on his shirt. The report also found gunshot residue on the rear side of the shirt’s perforation, identified as the entry wound. Further samples were collected during a second post-mortem after the body was exhumed. So far, investigators have received the DNA report, which confirmed that the remains belonged to Mir Raza. The investigation team is also preparing to conduct geofencing around different locations near the crime scene in Gulistan-i-Jauhar to establish the movements of people in the area around the time of the incident. Call data records from Mir Raza’s mobile phone will also be obtained as part of the probe. At the request of the family’s lawyer, Jibran Nasir, DSP Siraj Lashari and Inspector Mohammed Ali have been added to the investigation team headed by DIG Amir Farooqui. Mir Raza, an IBA graduate and owner of the food business Wafflix, went missing on July 28. His body was discovered the following day in bushes near Shahi Qila Ground in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. In a related development, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has summoned four people over alleged defamatory social media content concerning Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon and his son in connection with the murder case. Syed Abdullah, Amin Qureshi, Bilal Warsi and Obaid Qureshi have been directed to appear before the NCCIA’s Karachi office on August 13. The notices were issued following a complaint filed on Memon’s behalf, alleging that fabricated and defamatory material had been circulated through digital platforms. Memon had approached the cybercrime agency after claims circulated online alleging that he owned a guest house in Gulistan-i-Jauhar where Mir Raza was allegedly tortured and killed. Other posts claimed that Memon’s son had travelled to London immediately after the incident and was later seen accompanied by a security guard. The latest developments come as investigators continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding Mir Raza’s disappearance and death, while authorities face growing pressure to ensure that every aspect of the case is thoroughly examined.

LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Lahore has arrested three suspected members of a honey-trap and cyber blackmailing network during a raid in Multan, officials said. According to an NCCIA spokesperson, the suspects allegedly used fake identities on social media to establish contact with unsuspecting citizens before moving conversations to WhatsApp. They would then use video calls to obtain private pictures and videos, which were allegedly used to threaten victims and extort money from them. The operation was carried out on the special directions of NCCIA Punjab Director Muhammad Ali Waseem. Acting on intelligence, an NCCIA Lahore team raided a house in Basti Saleh Mahaye, near Nawabpur Road in Multan, and arrested Dil Hassan, Umar Saeed and Umair Hassan. Initial investigations suggest that the suspects had allegedly collected millions of rupees from victims through the same method. Investigators have also secured evidence relating to financial transactions and money transfers as part of the probe. Three mobile phones were recovered during the raid. The agency said an initial forensic examination revealed several WhatsApp accounts, photographs, videos and other potentially significant digital evidence. A detailed forensic analysis is now under way. During questioning, investigators also came across the names of Muhammad Farhan, Sohail alias Loli, Zahid Haraj and Shahid Haraj, along with several other individuals. Their alleged involvement and possible links to the network are being examined. The NCCIA is now working to identify additional members of the suspected network, trace the social media accounts allegedly used in the scheme, follow the money trail and identify other potential victims. NCCIA Punjab Director Muhammad Ali Waseem said operations against individuals involved in honey-trapping and cyber blackmailing would be intensified, stressing that those found involved would face legal action under the law.

LONDON: Gold prices rose on Wednesday as investors reduced expectations of tighter US monetary policy and turned their attention to upcoming inflation data that could influence the Federal Reserve’s next interest-rate decision. Spot gold gained 0.6 per cent to $4,391.82 an ounce by 0535 GMT, while US gold futures for December delivery advanced 0.2pc to $4,451.90. The precious metal had reached a 10-week high a day earlier before encountering technical resistance around $4,387, near its 100-day moving average. It subsequently closed lower for the second time this month. Market analyst Kelvin Wong of Oanda said the recent strength in gold was largely driven by changing expectations about Federal Reserve policy. He noted that prices had also gained momentum after breaking above the $4,200 level late last week. Gold recorded its strongest weekly gain since January on Friday after weaker-than-expected US employment figures prompted traders to reduce their expectations of further interest-rate increases. According to the CME FedWatch Tool, markets are now assigning roughly a 50 per cent probability to a rate hike in September, down from about 60pc before the jobs report. Lower interest rates generally benefit gold because the metal does not generate interest, making it relatively more attractive when yields decline. Investors were awaiting the latest US Consumer Price Index figures later on Wednesday for further clues about the Federal Reserve’s monetary policy. Chicago Fed President Austan Goolsbee has meanwhile said inflation remains a greater concern for him than weakness in the labour market. Oil prices also extended their gains after the United States and Houthi forces reported separate attacks involving shipping on Tuesday. Meanwhile, hopes of an end to the Iran conflict appeared to weaken after Tehran indicated that the Strait of Hormuz would remain closed unless certain conditions were met.

KARACHI: Investigators probing the murder of young businessman Mir Raza are facing challenges in completing geo-fencing around the crime scene, with the passage of several days making it harder to accurately reconstruct movements in the area. According to investigative sources, the crime scene is located near a hilly area that has been subjected to geo-fencing. Mobile towers belonging to three different telecom companies are situated around the location, allowing investigators to collect data on mobile activity in the vicinity. Sources said geo-fencing has so far produced location data covering several blocks of Gulistan-i-Jauhar. However, because considerable time has elapsed since the incident, investigators are finding it difficult to establish which individuals were present near the crime scene at the relevant time. Police have also collected various pieces of evidence from the surrounding area. Investigators reportedly conducted a search within a radius of around 500 metres from the location where the body was found. Meanwhile, the newly formed investigation committee has obtained details linked to Mir Raza’s smartwatch. Investigators are now attempting to retrieve the device’s complete data, which could potentially provide additional information about his movements and activities before his death. The investigation remains ongoing as authorities work to combine digital records, physical evidence and device data to determine what happened in the final hours of Mir Raza’s life.