Pakistan women beat Thailand to win Asian Netball Title

Senior leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) held a high-level meeting in Muzaffarabad on Thursday to defuse growing political tensions over the ongoing Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) elections. The meeting came after days of heated exchanges between the two coalition partners following the Mirpur election. The PPP had accused the electoral process of being marred by widespread irregularities and raised concerns over the credibility of the results. According to sources, the talks were aimed at preventing the election dispute from affecting the working relationship between the two parties in the federal coalition government. The meeting was reportedly arranged after consultations at the federal level. Some sources claimed that the initiative received support from both the Presidency and the Prime Minister’s Office. However, this could not be independently verified. The PPP delegation included Qamar Zaman Kaira, Nadeem Afzal Chan, AJK Prime Minister Faisal Rathore and Nayyar Bukhari. They met with senior PML-N leaders Rana Sanaullah and Amir Muqam. During the meeting, both sides openly discussed their concerns over statements made during the election campaign and after the announcement of the Mirpur results. PML-N leaders asked the PPP to present evidence supporting its allegations of organised election rigging. In response, PPP leaders said their objections were limited to four constituencies — LA-5, LA-9, LA-11 and LA-12 — where they believe serious irregularities took place. PML-N leaders argued that by restricting its objections to only four constituencies, the PPP had effectively accepted the results of the remaining nine seats. They noted that PML-N won five of those seats, while the PPP secured four. After detailed discussions, both parties agreed that political tensions should not be allowed to escalate further. They also agreed that the dispute should not affect the remaining phases of the AJK elections. The meeting also reviewed security arrangements for polling in the remaining constituencies, particularly in Muzaffarabad. Both parties agreed that no individual should be allowed to carry weapons inside or around polling stations. They stressed that strict security measures were necessary to ensure peaceful, transparent and orderly polling. Political observers view the meeting as the first major reconciliation effort by the two coalition partners to contain the election dispute

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) has received a total budget of around Rs22 billion over the past three years, according to official budget documents obtained by Minute Mirror. The financial figures have come under scrutiny following the deadly fire in the Mother and Child Health (MCH) Ward on August 26. The incident has raised questions about the hospital’s financial management, staffing levels, maintenance and fire safety arrangements. According to the documents, PIMS was allocated Rs6.84 billion during the previous financial year. However, the hospital spent Rs7.51 billion, exceeding the allocated amount by around Rs670 million, or Rs67 crore. For the current financial year, the federal government has allocated Rs7.63 billion to PIMS. The hospital has also been provided Rs500 million, or Rs50 crore, under the repair and maintenance head in the current budget. The allocation has attracted particular attention after the fire. Questions are now being raised about whether adequate funds were used to maintain electrical systems, hospital infrastructure and fire safety equipment. The financial questions have emerged alongside a serious staffing shortage at PIMS. The hospital has 949 vacant positions against 2,451 sanctioned posts. The vacancies include 385 doctors and clinicians, 363 nurses and 201 paramedical staff. Health experts have questioned how a major public hospital receiving billions of rupees in government funding continues to face shortages of medical personnel and concerns about infrastructure and safety. They say staffing gaps can place additional pressure on existing employees and affect patient care, emergency response and hospital management. The August 26 fire has intensified these concerns. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif took notice of the incident and directed Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal to visit PIMS and assess the situation. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said the prime minister had also ordered a high-powered investigation into the tragedy. The Establishment Division subsequently suspended National Health Services Secretary Muhammad Aslam Ghauri for 120 days. Capt. (Retd.) Muhammad Mahmood, Secretary Housing and Works, was given additional charge of the Health Secretary for three months. The developments have increased calls for the investigation to examine not only the immediate cause of the fire but also the hospital’s broader administrative and financial arrangements. A senior officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed that authorities had repeatedly been informed about shortages of staff, equipment and safety facilities. The officer questioned whether the Rs50 crore allocated for repair and maintenance would be used to address fire safety and infrastructure requirements. The official spending figures have also raised questions about the reasons for the previous year’s expenditure exceeding the approved allocation by Rs67 crore. However, the available figures alone do not establish financial wrongdoing. A detailed audit would be required to determine how the additional expenditure was incurred, whether it was properly authorised and where the funds were spent. PIMS is part of a wider staffing problem affecting federal healthcare facilities in Islamabad. More than 1,470 positions are reportedly vacant across four major government hospitals. Besides PIMS, the Polyclinic Hospital has 439 vacant positions, the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine has 29, while the Federal General Hospital has more than 57 vacancies. The combination of large public allocations, vacant positions and concerns over hospital infrastructure has prompted calls for greater transparency in the use of government funds. The key questions now facing authorities include whether maintenance funds were adequately utilised, who authorised spending beyond the allocated budget, whether previous warnings were acted upon and whether the investigation into the PIMS fire will examine possible administrative or financial failures. A comprehensive audit and transparent investigation could help determine whether the problems resulted from insufficient resources, poor utilisation of available funds, weak oversight or administrative failures. Officials have yet to make public a detailed audit of PIMS expenditure or announce a firm timeline for filling the hospital’s vacant positions.