Lebanon becomes first Middle Eastern country to abolish death penalty

Polling has ended in the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections. The vote-counting process has now begun. Polling was held in four constituencies of Bagh and Haveli. These included LA-14 Bagh-1, LA-15 Bagh-2, LA-16 Bagh-3 and LA-17 Bagh-4 Haveli. The polling process started at 8am and continued until 5pm. Voters were allowed to cast their ballots throughout the scheduled polling hours. With polling now concluded, election officials have started counting the votes. The results will determine the outcome of the remaining constituencies in the third phase. The first two phases had already produced a lead for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. In the first phase, polling was held for 13 seats in the Mirpur Division. The PML-N won nine of these seats, while the Pakistan Peoples Party secured four. The second phase covered nine seats in the Muzaffarabad Division and 12 seats reserved for refugees. The PML-N won 15 seats in the second phase, while the PPP secured six seats. The third phase is being closely watched as the counting process will complete the voting process across the remaining constituencies. Election authorities are expected to announce results after the completion of counting and the required verification process. The outcome of the third phase will also determine the final balance of seats and pave the way for the formation of the next government in Azad Kashmir.

Islamabad: “Serious questions have been raised about the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) after Senator Aimal Wali Khan questioned why the Chairman NEPRA continues receiving a monthly salary of Rs3.2 million despite concerns regarding his office attendance and official responsibilities.” The issue was raised during a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat chaired by Senator Rana Mahmood ul Hassan at the Establishment Division. Senator Aimal Wali Khan questioned the performance and accountability of senior government officials, saying that important positions should not continue without effective participation and responsibility. While discussing NEPRA, Senator Aimal Wali Khan stated that the Chairman NEPRA had remained ill only a few weeks after his appointment and was not attending office regularly, yet continued receiving his full salary. He questioned whether public funds should continue to be spent on positions where official duties are not being performed and demanded accountability regarding the matter. The committee took note of the concerns raised by Senator Aimal Wali Khan and discussed the importance of transparency and responsibility in government institutions. During the wider discussion on public sector appointments and governance issues, Senator Aimal Wali Khan criticised the practice of keeping individuals in important positions despite their inability to perform official duties. He remarked that some people continue holding positions even when they are unable to actively carry out responsibilities, raising questions about institutional efficiency and accountability. The committee stressed that senior positions in government bodies must be linked with performance, transparency and public responsibility. The issue comes at a time when regulatory institutions such as NEPRA play a major role in Pakistan’s electricity sector, including matters related to power regulation, tariffs and consumer interests. The committee directed relevant authorities to provide required information so that matters related to public appointments, governance and institutional reforms could be examined in detail.

The exhumation of Mir Ali Raza’s body has been postponed for Friday, his father’s lawyer Jibran Nasir said. Nasir spoke to the media and raised serious concerns over the medical board formed for the case. He said a third notification regarding the medical board had been issued. According to Nasir, the first and second medical boards were merged to form a new third board. However, he said the family does not accept the latest notification. He said Mir Raza’s parents had already recorded their statements before the investigating officer. Nasir said the family would not allow the exhumation to take place under the supervision of what he called a disputed medical board. He described the exhumation as a sensitive legal process. He said the court had directed the police surgeon and police to take necessary action. A medical team was formed after the court’s directions. However, Nasir alleged that the medical board was changed overnight. He said the sudden change had raised serious questions for the family. He questioned why doctors from Karachi were not included in the new board. He also questioned the removal of doctors who had been part of the earlier medical board. Nasir asked why a new board was formed without first withdrawing the previous notification. He also questioned why the new notification was issued during the night. He questioned the role of the Director General Health in Hyderabad. He asked under which law the official became the supervising officer of the medical board. Nasir also questioned how the orders of the Karachi police surgeon were superseded. He asked which order of the health secretary was referred to in the letter issued from Hyderabad. He said the family would not accept any alternative arrangement. They would only recognize the previously constituted eight-member medical board. Nasir also raised questions about the investigation into Mir Raza’s death. He said the investigating officer could not recover a bullet casing for eight days. According to him, the casing was recovered only after the family approached the court. He questioned how important the casing could be without the recovery of the pistol allegedly used in the incident. Nasir also alleged that the investigating officer had not properly inspected Mir Raza’s room. He said the family had lost a young member and wanted the case to be investigated with complete seriousness. He stressed that an exhumation was not an ordinary procedure. Meanwhile, preparations for the exhumation had been completed at the PECHS cemetery in Karachi. A police team had also reached the cemetery.