DC approves Rs4.14 billion District Health Authority budget for FY2026-27

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership has accelerated consultations over the formation of the next government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), with party supremo Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz interviewing candidates for reserved seats. The interviews were held in Murree on Sunday for five women’s reserved seats in the AJK Legislative Assembly. PML-N AJK regional president Shah Ghulam Qadir and Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also attended the meeting. The party leadership reviewed the profiles of several women seeking PML-N tickets. The interviews reportedly lasted between five and 10 minutes for each candidate. Among those interviewed were Maryam Kashmiri, president of the PML-N AJK Women’s Wing, secretary general Nasira Azeem Khan, former reserved-seat MLA Sehrish Qamar, former Assembly member Nisara Abbasi, Maryam Idrees, Maria Iqbal Tarana and Zareeda Nisar. The widow of late Raja Abid Khan of Dadyal also appeared before the leadership. Her son, Raja Shoaib Abid, had withdrawn from the electoral contest in support of PML-N candidate and MLA-elect Chaudhry Azhar Sadiq. The PML-N leadership praised the participation of women in the recent AJK elections. The party said women had played an active and important role in the electoral process and described their involvement as a positive development for democracy. The PML-N has emerged as the largest party following the recent AJK elections. It secured 25 directly elected seats and has the support of an allied member. Based on its strength in the Assembly, the party is expected to win four of the five reserved seats for women. The party is also expected to secure the remaining three reserved seats allocated to religious scholars or Mashaikh, overseas state subjects, and technocrats and other professionals. The AJK Election Commission has scheduled polling for all eight reserved seats for August 24. The voting will take place at the AJK Legislative Assembly Hall in Muzaffarabad from 10am to 1pm. Candidates will submit nomination papers on August 20. The scrutiny process will be completed the same day, while appeals against decisions regarding nominations can be filed on August 21. The Election Commission will hear the appeals on August 22. Candidates will have until August 23 to withdraw their nominations, after which the final list of contestants will be issued. The AJK Assembly comprises 53 members. Of these, 45 are elected through direct voting, while eight seats are reserved for specific categories. However, elections could not be held in seven constituencies because of the law and order situation in parts of Poonch and Sudhnoti districts. As a result, 38 directly elected members will take part in the process of electing candidates to the reserved seats. Meanwhile, the Election Commission also issued notifications confirming the victories of PPP candidate Sardar Ziaul Qamar and PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar in Bagh district. Qamar was declared successful from LA-15 Central Bagh, while Akbar was declared the returned candidate from LA-16 Eastern Bagh. Their notifications formally completed the electoral process in the two constituencies.

The Supreme Court has issued a landmark ruling concerning women’s rights, declaring that a woman’s right to seek khula (judicial divorce) is a constitutional right and that violence against a woman exercising this right amounts to an attack on the Constitution. A three-member bench of the Supreme Court dismissed the jail petition filed by convict Waseem Abbas and upheld his death sentence. Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar authored the four-page detailed judgment. According to the judgment, women are fully protected under Articles 9, 14 and 25 of the Constitution, which guarantee their security, dignity and equal rights. The court said that anyone who uses violence against a woman seeking khula would face the full force of the law. It observed that killing a woman for exercising her legal right is an act of brutality and open defiance of the law. The Supreme Court further ruled that a convict involved in a cold-blooded and planned murder does not deserve any concession. The judgment also clarified that the testimony of relatives cannot automatically be rejected in cases involving crimes committed within the privacy of a home. The court said forensic evidence recovered from the crime scene provided conclusive evidence against the accused. The forensic examination established a match between the recovered bullet casings and the pistol linked to the crime. The Supreme Court found no legal or factual flaw in the decisions of the lower courts and upheld the death sentence awarded to Waseem Abbas. According to the case record, Waseem Abbas shot and killed his former wife, Shehnaz Bibi, on October 11, 2020. She had obtained a legal khula decree from a family court before the incident. The convict allegedly entered the woman’s home and killed her around 48 hours after she obtained the decree. A trial court subsequently sentenced Abbas to death and awarded him 10 years in prison. The Lahore High Court later upheld the death sentence.

The Supreme Court has scheduled five petitions concerning access to jailed former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan for hearing on August 18. A three-member bench headed by Justice Shahid Waheed will hear the petitions. Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim are also part of the bench. The cases were previously being heard by a bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar. The bench has now been reconstituted after Justice Mazhar became unavailable at the Supreme Court’s principal seat. The petitions seek permission for Imran Khan’s family members, personal doctors and legal team to meet him in prison. The applicants have also requested access to his medical records and proper arrangements for his medical treatment. The petitions gained renewed attention after PTI lawyers and lawmakers gathered outside the Supreme Court earlier this week, protesting over the continued delay in fixing the cases. A delegation led by PTI lawyer Salman Akram Raja subsequently met the apex court registrar. According to Insaf Lawyers Forum chief organiser Intezar Panjutha, the registrar assured the delegation that five petitions relating to restrictions on meetings with Imran would be listed for hearing. The cause list was expected to be issued ahead of the proceedings. One of the petitions was filed by Imran’s sister, Uzma Khan. She has sought his transfer to Shifa International Hospital, arguing that he requires proper treatment and continuous medical monitoring for an eye-related condition and other health complications. The Supreme Court had earlier directed that details of meetings held by Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, with family members, lawyers and party leaders in prison be submitted. The newly constituted bench has attracted attention because of the legal positions previously taken by its members in politically sensitive matters. Justice Afghan has been associated with dissenting opinions on several major constitutional and legal issues. He had opposed the constitutionality of trying civilians in military courts and had also dissented in a case involving the transfer of judges between high courts. He has previously granted post-arrest bail to PTI leaders facing cases related to the May 9 violence. Justice Ibrahim was part of a Supreme Court judgment that overturned an earlier order concerning Imran’s right to defend himself in a defamation case filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court is separately hearing petitions concerning the alleged solitary confinement of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. The dispute over access to Imran has remained a major issue for the PTI, which maintains that his family, lawyers and doctors should be allowed regular meetings. The government has continued to face pressure over the prison arrangements surrounding the former prime minister.

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges has summoned Metropolitan Corporation Lahore’s Metropolitan Officer (Regulation), Jawad-ul-Hassan, to appear in person before the committee on September 1. The summons were issued on the direction of committee chairman Afzal Khokhar after the officer failed to attend an earlier committee meeting despite being served a notice. According to the National Assembly Secretariat, Jawad-ul-Hassan has been directed to appear at 2pm on September 1 in the Constitution Room of Parliament House, Islamabad. The committee took notice of his absence from its August 12 meeting and decided that his personal appearance should be ensured at the next proceedings. The summons were issued under Rule 227(3) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The provision allows the committee to take steps to secure attendance when required in connection with parliamentary proceedings. The official notice also warned that failure to comply could lead to further action under the powers available to the committee. These powers include authority similar to that of a civil court for enforcing attendance and requiring the production of relevant documents. To ensure that the summons are properly served and implemented, the National Assembly Secretariat has sought assistance from the Punjab chief secretary. The inspector general of police Punjab has also been asked to provide necessary assistance, within the law, to facilitate the officer’s attendance before the parliamentary committee. Meanwhile, the chief officer of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore has been directed to ensure that Jawad-ul-Hassan is informed about the summons and appears before the committee personally. The latest development represents an escalation following the officer’s earlier failure to attend the proceedings. The committee is now seeking his direct appearance rather than allowing the matter to proceed in his absence. The September 1 hearing is expected to provide the committee an opportunity to question the officer directly and examine the circumstances surrounding his previous non-appearance.