Infrastructure development projects announced acro…

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the low attendance of lawmakers during parliamentary sessions. Speaking to the media outside the National Assembly on Tuesday, Sadiq said some federal ministers had raised the issue of members’ absence with the prime minister. He said the government and lawmakers were now paying attention to improving attendance. The speaker’s comments came after a session of the National Assembly witnessed a low presence of members, with a large number of seats remaining vacant during proceedings. Sadiq said maintaining the required quorum was not solely the responsibility of the speaker. He said both the government and opposition benches had a duty to ensure that their members attended parliamentary proceedings. He expressed hope that attendance would improve when the next session is held, which is expected to take place later this week. According to the speaker, the government had conveyed that it recognised the seriousness of the issue and intended to improve lawmakers’ presence in future sessions. Sadiq urged members from both sides of the House to remain present during proceedings. He said parliamentary sessions provided limited time for debate, questions, discussions and legislation, and lawmakers should make full use of the opportunity. He noted that poor attendance affected both sides of the House. The government could not properly complete its legislative agenda, while opposition members also lost the opportunity to raise issues and scrutinise government policies. The speaker also commented on Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s intention to adopt a more active approach towards legislation. Sadiq welcomed the move, saying stronger opposition participation could improve parliamentary accountability. He said constructive pressure from opposition parties could also encourage the government to introduce reforms. Regarding resignations submitted by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members from standing committees, the speaker said he had not accepted any of the resignations. He said parliamentary committees were continuing to function and could perform more effectively if opposition members regularly participated in their meetings. Asked about the possibility of the united opposition moving a no-confidence motion against him or Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Sadiq said it was a constitutional and democratic right of the opposition. He said the National Assembly would facilitate the opposition if it decided to exercise that right. Sadiq also spoke about efforts to reduce political tensions between the government and opposition. He said several attempts had been made to bring the two sides to the negotiating table. He said he, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the law minister and Rana Sanaullah had repeatedly offered dialogue.

Fresh discrepancies have emerged in the initial post-mortem report of young businessman Mir Raza Ali, raising concerns that the investigation into his death could be compromised. According to medico-legal sources, several inconsistencies were identified after examining photographs of the body, prompting questions about the accuracy of the preliminary findings. Sources said the images showed a small gunshot wound on the lower back and a larger wound on the chest. They added that the injuries appeared inconsistent with the details recorded in the initial post-mortem report. The photographs also reportedly showed the fingers of the victim’s left hand tightly clenched around broken grass, while suspicious marks were observed on the right hand. Medico-legal officials said these details could be significant for the ongoing investigation. According to the sources, another visible injury was found beneath the victim’s chin, which was also not adequately addressed in the preliminary examination. The report further suggested that the body was approximately 24 to 36 hours old at the time it was examined. Sources familiar with the findings said the gunshot entry wound appeared larger than the exit wound in the report, while the photographs indicated the bullet had entered from the back and exited through the front. They stressed that these contradictions require further forensic review. Officials also noted that the body appeared swollen in the photographs and the face was severely disfigured. They said a detailed examination of the head could have helped determine the exact cause of the facial injuries and provided additional forensic evidence. The discrepancies have raised concerns that flaws in the initial post-mortem documentation may affect the direction and credibility of the investigation.

Three Chinese nationals arrested in a case involving the alleged illegal sale of human organs have approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking post-arrest bail. The bail petitions were heard by IHC Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir. The petitioners include Li Gang Chai, Ping Fei Guo and Wang Bao. The three suspects are facing a case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Corporate Crime Circle. A trial court had earlier rejected their bail applications. Appearing on behalf of the petitioners, Barrister Yawar Qureshi requested the court to transfer the cases to another bench. He told the court that petitions involving similar circumstances were already pending before a different bench. The lawyer requested that the three cases also be transferred to the bench of Justice Muhammad Azam Khan. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir observed that Justice Muhammad Azam Khan was currently on summer vacation and transferring the cases could delay the proceedings by around a month. However, following the lawyer’s insistence, the court accepted the request for consideration of the bench change. The court directed that the case file be sent to the Chief Justice’s Office for a decision regarding the transfer of the petitions.