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LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari has left Lahore after spending around two days in the city without meeting the local leadership of his Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), adding to speculation surrounding the political situation within the party. Zardari departed for Islamabad on Sunday after a low-profile visit during which he reportedly held no formal meetings with PPP leaders in Lahore. His stay has drawn particular attention amid unconfirmed reports that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari may have left Pakistan. A senior party figure close to the leadership said the president’s visit was not intended for meetings with the party’s local leadership. According to the source, Zardari had come to Lahore to deal with sensitive and urgent matters away from public attention. The same source acknowledged hearing reports about Bilawal’s possible departure but said he could neither confirm nor reject them. During his stay, Zardari was reported to have held only one known meeting, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who was accompanied by businessman Gohar Ejaz. The president’s arrival also appeared to catch several PPP leaders off guard, with party members saying they had not been informed beforehand. Some PPP leaders reportedly sought meetings with Zardari but were unable to secure appointments. The president’s visit comes at a politically sensitive time for the PPP, which has recently taken a strong position against the creation of new administrative units and criticised the PML-N government over what it describes as excessive reliance on the establishment. Zardari has also recently withheld his assent to the elevation of judges, adding another layer to the growing political tensions. Attempts were made to contact PPP leaders Nadeem Afzal Chan and Shazia Marri for clarification about the reports concerning Bilawal, but no response was received before the report was filed. Meanwhile, PPP Kashmir leader Chaudhary Riaz said Bilawal had left the Kashmir Valley but added that he did not know where the party chairman was currently located.

  The preliminary post-mortem report of two women who died while in police custody at Lahore’s Town Ship Police Station has been released. According to the report, there were no visible signs of physical torture on the bodies of the two women, and their deaths appear to have been caused by natural or medical reasons. However, the exact cause of death has not yet been established, and further forensic investigation is underway. The two women, identified as Anmol and Amina, were residents of Pakpattan and had been taken into police custody on suspicion of involvement in an alleged fraud-related incident. Both women died under mysterious circumstances on August 4 while they were being held at the Town Ship Police Station in Lahore. According to the initial post-mortem findings, multiple needle or syringe marks were found on the bodies of both women. The report, however, did not identify any apparent marks of physical violence or torture. Police officials have said that the final cause of death will only become clear after the forensic examination of samples collected from the bodies. Police have claimed that they suspect the two women may have consumed poisonous tablets while in custody. Samples and other relevant material obtained from both bodies have been sent to a forensic laboratory for analysis. The forensic report is expected to determine whether any poisonous substance or medication was present in their bodies and may help investigators establish the circumstances surrounding their deaths. According to police, the women had been arrested on allegations of fraud and deception. A video allegedly showing one of the women removing earrings from an elderly woman has also surfaced. Police said that a female resident of the Town Ship area had contacted the emergency helpline 15 and handed the two women over to the police after the incident. Residents of the neighborhood also provided police with another video. In the footage, the two women can allegedly be seen removing earrings from an elderly woman. The video has become an important part of the investigation as authorities attempt to establish what happened before the women were taken into custody. Another video recorded by a camera installed in the room of the police station’s duty clerk has also emerged. The footage reportedly shows Anmol and Amina sitting on chairs inside the police station. They appear to be conscious and interacting with the duty clerk. The video further shows the two women talking to the clerk shortly before they leave the room. The footage is being examined as part of the investigation into their deaths and may help investigators establish their condition and movements while they were at the police station. The deaths have raised questions about what happened to the women during their time in custody. While police have ruled out visible signs of physical torture in the preliminary post-mortem examination, the presence of multiple syringe marks and the allegation that the women may have consumed poisonous tablets have prompted further investigation. Authorities are now awaiting the forensic examination results, which are expected to provide crucial evidence regarding the exact cause of death. Until the final forensic report is received, officials have not reached a definitive conclusion about how the two women died.