Lahore Board digitizes result cards, introduces QR code certificates

Hamza Shehbaz, son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a former chief minister of Punjab, is expected to assume a more active political role at the federal level, according to informed sources. Sources said an office has been allocated to Hamza Shehbaz at the Prime Minister’s Office. Although he has not yet been given any formal government position, he is likely to play an important role in coordinating between the prime minister and ruling party lawmakers. His main responsibility will be to engage with members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and address issues related to their constituencies. He will work to ensure that development projects, administrative matters and public concerns raised by lawmakers are communicated to the relevant authorities for timely resolution. Government legislators often seek meetings with the prime minister to discuss problems faced by their constituencies. However, due to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s busy official schedule, it is not always possible for him to meet every lawmaker. Hamza Shehbaz is expected to help manage this coordination process and facilitate communication between the government and parliamentary members. Sources said his office is located on the sixth floor of the Prime Minister’s Office. A meeting room has also been allocated alongside his office, where he is expected to hold meetings with lawmakers, party representatives and visiting delegations. Hamza Shehbaz is currently an MNA from Lahore’s NA-118 constituency. He has previous experience in coordinating with elected representatives, having performed a similar role during Shehbaz Sharif’s tenure as Punjab chief minister. Sources further said that office staff has also been assigned to assist him in carrying out his responsibilities. There is currently one vacant adviser position in the Prime Minister’s team. Under the Constitution, the prime minister can appoint up to five advisers. At present, four adviser positions are occupied. However, sources indicated that Hamza Shehbaz may not immediately receive the status of adviser or special assistant. Instead, the government is considering assigning him the title of coordinator to avoid political criticism over his appointment. If approved, he is expected to perform his responsibilities from behind the scenes while assisting the government in maintaining close coordination with lawmakers and resolving constituency-related matters.

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Tuesday launched a strong criticism of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), accusing the party of relying on what he described as a “fake mandate” while campaigning for the upcoming Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections. In a statement, Sharjeel Memon said the people of Azad Kashmir had rejected what he called “manufactured political representation” in the past and would make the same decision in the upcoming elections. He expressed confidence that voters would once again support democratic values and reject politics based on disputed electoral mandates. The senior minister alleged that the PML-N had come to power through a questionable electoral process and was now attempting to present itself as a defender of the Kashmiri people. He said a party that, in his view, failed to respect the public’s vote could not claim to protect the democratic rights of others. Sharjeel Memon said the people of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir were fully aware of the country’s political history and would decide their future through the power of the ballot. He maintained that genuine public support could only be earned through transparent elections and good governance. Referring to the Pakistan Peoples Party’s (PPP) performance in Gilgit-Baltistan, he said the party had secured the confidence of voters through democratic means. He added that the people of Azad Kashmir would also reject what he described as the politics of a disputed mandate. The Sindh minister also criticised the Punjab government’s performance. He claimed that many residents of Punjab continued to travel to Karachi for advanced medical treatment and better healthcare facilities. He urged the PML-N leadership to focus on addressing public issues instead of criticising political opponents during election campaigns. Sharjeel Memon said the PPP remained committed to constitutional supremacy, democratic principles and respect for the people’s mandate. He added that the party believed in serving the public through practical governance rather than political slogans.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has told the Federal Constitutional Court that no “PTI founder release force” was ever established, describing the initiative instead as a peaceful movement for the release of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan. Afridi submitted an eight-page response in the case through the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa advocate general. The response was filed after the Federal Constitutional Court sought his position on a petition challenging the alleged formation of the so-called release force. In his response, the chief minister said the actual initiative was the Release Peace Movement, which he described as peaceful, unarmed and voluntary. He maintained that the movement had no armed structure or military component. Afridi further argued that the constitutional petition was politically motivated and based on misrepresentation of facts. He said the petition was premature, hypothetical and therefore not maintainable. According to the chief minister, the petitioner had also failed to establish any violation of fundamental rights. Afridi said the Release Peace Movement was protected under Articles 16, 17 and 19 of the Constitution. These provisions relate to freedom of assembly, freedom of association and freedom of speech and expression. He also argued that Article 256 of the Constitution, which concerns private military organisations, had no relevance to the movement. The KP chief minister maintained that the Private Military Organisations Act, 1973 was also not applicable to the Release Peace Movement. He rejected allegations that the initiative posed a threat to public order. He described such claims as baseless and said comparisons between the movement and armed organisations of the past were misleading. Afridi asked the court to dismiss the constitutional petition at the preliminary stage. He also requested the court to declare the Release Peace Movement constitutional and lawful. The case comes amid political controversy over claims that the KP government or PTI supporters were preparing an organisation to campaign for Imran Khan’s release. Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had previously criticised the KP government over the issue, alleging that it could establish a release force for the PTI founder while remaining silent against militants. The Federal Constitutional Court has scheduled the next hearing of the petition for July 29.