KP CM launches mobilisation campaign for September…

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders on Sunday expressed confidence that the party would emerge victorious in the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections and form the next regional government. At the same time, they rejected allegations of election rigging and violence raised by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), insisting that the polling process remained peaceful and transparent. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif made the remarks while visiting party election camps in Union Council Fatehgarh, Sialkot. He said polling across AJK and the refugee constituencies was conducted in a calm and orderly manner. According to him, voters actively participated in the electoral process and the turnout remained encouraging throughout the day. He said reports received from various election camps reflected a positive trend in favour of the PML-N. He added that voter participation was expected to increase further as polling continued. Khawaja Asif expressed confidence that the party would secure enough seats to form the next AJK government. The defence minister said a PML-N government in AJK would focus on development, public welfare and political stability. He added that the party wanted to continue serving the people under the leadership of Nawaz Sharif. Speaking about the Kashmir issue, Khawaja Asif reiterated Pakistan’s longstanding position. He said Kashmir remained an integral part of Pakistan’s national policy. He also criticised what he called propaganda aimed at strengthening India’s narrative on the dispute. According to him, there could be no compromise on Pakistan’s stance regarding Kashmir. He also highlighted the political importance of Sialkot, saying the district has a large population of refugees from Jammu. He noted that nearly 100,000 voters were registered in the LA-36 Jammu-III constituency, making it one of the important refugee seats in the elections. Khawaja Asif urged all political parties to respect the decision of the voters. He said every party should accept the election results in the spirit of democracy, regardless of victory or defeat. Later, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah also addressed a press conference in Islamabad alongside Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Amir Muqam. Rana Sanaullah strongly rejected PPP allegations of widespread rigging and violence. He said the elections were held peacefully and voters exercised their democratic right without major disruptions. He explained that polling hours were extended by one hour at some polling stations because of difficult weather conditions. He added that voters who had already entered polling stations before the closing time were allowed to cast their ballots in accordance with election rules. According to Rana Sanaullah, nearly 95 to 96 per cent of the polling process had been completed smoothly by the end of the day. He said ballot counting had already started in most constituencies. The adviser criticised allegations of election manipulation. He said one political party began accusing the authorities of rigging early in the morning without presenting any evidence. He maintained that such claims were politically motivated and intended to create unnecessary controversy. Commenting on incidents of violence, Rana Sanaullah said only three isolated cases were reported during polling. He insisted these incidents did not affect the overall election process. He also responded to reports involving AJK Acting President and Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar. According to Rana Sanaullah, the incident resulted from a personal dispute linked to an old court case. He denied reports of any serious physical assault and said the matter had been exaggerated for political purposes. The adviser also addressed the death of an elderly man, Mushtaq, during polling. He said the deceased was a heart patient and suffered a cardiac arrest after an argument between rival political supporters. He rejected claims that the man had been killed in election-related violence, saying no post-mortem report had confirmed such allegations. Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said PML-N supporters participated enthusiastically in the elections. He said voters showed confidence in the party’s leadership by casting their ballots in favour of the lion, the party’s election symbol. In a statement shared on social media, Tarar described allegations of rigging as baseless and unsupported by evidence. He said the public had once again expressed trust in the PML-N’s agenda of development, public service and economic progress.

The Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) is accelerating plans to establish Pakistan’s first luxury medical tourism model centre in Islamabad, with the aim of capturing a greater share of the rapidly growing global medical tourism market. Pakistan is seeking to benefit from the global medical tourism industry, estimated to be worth around $144 billion, while the country currently accounts for only about 0.5% of the market. The initiative gained momentum after plastic and cosmetic surgeon Dr Muhammad Salman Khan approached the SIFC Secretariat seeking up to 25,000 square feet of land or a built-up facility for a five-star luxury medical centre with room for future expansion. In his proposal, Dr Khan said cosmetic surgery and dentistry together account for around 35% of global medical tourism activity. He argued that Pakistani specialists can provide international-standard services at significantly lower costs than those charged in countries such as Turkey, the United States and the United Kingdom. The SIFC subsequently convened a high-level meeting at its secretariat on August 5. Representatives from the Capital Development Authority (CDA), Jinnah Medical Complex and medical professionals participated in the meeting. According to the meeting minutes, Dr Salman presented a phased plan for the project. The initiative would initially introduce premium “Med Suites” in Islamabad, followed by a dedicated medical tourism centre and eventually the development of a comprehensive Islamabad Medical City. Participants identified several advantages that could help Pakistan compete in the international medical tourism sector. These include significantly lower treatment costs, a large pool of qualified medical specialists and a sizeable overseas Pakistani community that could form an initial customer base for the proposed services. The meeting also highlighted the distinction between aesthetic tourism and broader medical tourism. Officials agreed that establishing a dedicated luxury aesthetic tourism centre in the federal capital could help create the foundation for a new high-value industry. The proposed facility could attract thousands of international patients to Pakistan and generate valuable foreign exchange for the country. Islamabad was considered a suitable location because of its relatively secure environment, scenic surroundings and high-quality residential infrastructure. The proposed model would combine specialised medical services with a five-star hospitality experience for patients and their accompanying family members. The meeting concluded with several directives to move the proposal forward. The CDA was asked to arrange a follow-up meeting within a week involving Dr Salman Khan, the CDA chairman and other relevant stakeholders to examine the proposal in detail. Medical experts were also directed to prepare a comprehensive investment, commercial and financial feasibility study for the proposed project at the Jinnah Medical Complex. Separately, the SIFC was asked to arrange meetings between leading medical specialists and representatives of major five-star hotels in Islamabad. The discussions will assess commercial interest and examine the practical feasibility of developing dedicated medical tourism facilities. The project has now entered an initial implementation phase, with several government institutions involved in evaluating the proposal.