Holiday Road Carnage: Speeding and Drunk Driving Claim Dozens in Thailand

RAWALPINDI: An anti-terrorism court judge in Rawalpindi left the courtroom after expressing anger over repeated disruptions during the hearing of a case against PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan. The case relates to a case registered over the November 26 protest. The hearing turned tense when the prosecution began questioning Aleema Khan and her witness about property-related matters. During the proceedings, prosecutor Zaheer Shah questioned Aleema Khan’s witness, Fatahullah Barky, about whether he was aware of alleged properties owned by Aleema Khan abroad. Defence lawyer Faisal Malik immediately objected. He argued that the question was not relevant to the case being heard by the court.The prosecutor then questioned Aleema Khan directly about alleged properties in Dubai and New Jersey. Aleema Khan rejected the allegations. She said she did not own any illegal property.She maintained that the properties had been described as benami assets in an earlier legal dispute. The prosecutor then asked whether the Supreme Court had imposed a fine on her in connection with the alleged benami properties. Aleema Khan replied that former chief justice Saqib Nisar had issued a decision that, according to her, was contrary to the law. She further claimed that a tribunal later cleared her in the matter. The prosecutor also asked whether she had paid a Rs30 million fine following the Supreme Court’s orders.Aleema Khan said that Rs29.4 million had been deposited. She added that the tribunal subsequently cleared her. During the hearing, Aleema Khan asked the court to record her statement. The court began recording her statement. However, the defence counsel raised another objection.The repeated objections and arguments created a noisy situation inside the courtroom. Judge Amjad Ali Shah expressed strong displeasure over the disruption. He questioned the defence counsel over the objection and said that if the accused wanted her statement recorded, there was no reason for the court not to record it.The judge’s remarks came as arguments continued between the prosecution and defence. The situation eventually became so tense that Judge Amjad Ali Shah left his seat and walked out of the courtroom. The proceedings were subsequently disrupted and the hearing was adjourned.Further proceedings in the case will take place on a later date. The hearing highlighted tensions between the prosecution and defence over the relevance of questions being asked during the proceedings

Pakistan Post has issued a high alert for international mail destined for the United States and ordered tighter security measures for all such consignments. The postal service has directed officials and staff to strictly comply with the security and electronic information requirements set by the United States Postal Service. According to a circular issued by Pakistan Post headquarters, all relevant officers and employees have been instructed to exercise extra caution while handling mail destined for the US. The instructions cover all stages of the process, including the acceptance, preparation, processing and dispatch of international mail. Officials have been directed to ensure that the required security procedures and electronic information are completed accurately before consignments are dispatched. Pakistan Post has also stressed the need for vigilance during the handling of US-bound mail to prevent any security or compliance-related issues. The latest instructions are aimed at strengthening the screening and handling process for international postal items and ensuring that mail sent to the United States meets the required security standards.

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.