Punjab, Korean delegation agree to boost livestock and agriculture cooperation

MUZAFFARABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party is leading in two constituencies in the third phase of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly elections, while the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is ahead in one seat. An independent candidate has also secured victory in another constituency, according to unofficial results. Polling was held in four constituencies of Bagh and Haveli districts in the Poonch division. However, voting could not take place at several polling stations because of unrest and security concerns. In LA-15 Bagh-2, PPP candidate Zia Qamar was leading after results from most polling stations were received. PML-N candidate Muhammad Mushtaq Ahmed Minhas was in second place. PML-N candidate Sardar Mir Akbar Khan was leading in LA-16 Eastern Bagh. He was ahead of PPP candidate Sardar Qamar Zaman Khan, making the constituency the strongest prospect for the PML-N in the third phase. In LA-17 Haveli-Kahuta, PPP candidate and AJK Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore was ahead of PML-N candidate Chaudhry Mohsin Aziz in the closely contested race. An unexpected result emerged from LA-14 Western Bagh. Independent candidate Sardar Sajid Iqbal Abbasi defeated former AJK prime minister and Muslim Conference leader Sardar Attique Ahmed Khan in his home constituency. The AJK Election Commission has also announced re-polling at 23 polling stations. The exercise will take place on August 15. According to Election Commission officials, voting will be repeated at nine polling stations in LA-16 and 14 stations in LA-15. Polling at these locations could not be conducted during the earlier round because of unrest. Elections in five constituencies of Poonch and two constituencies of Sudhnoti have been postponed. The authorities are expected to announce new dates after reviewing the security situation. Meanwhile, PML-N candidate Mohsin Aziz has demanded a recount in LA-17 Bagh-4. His request was rejected by the Returning Officer, prompting PML-N workers to stage a sit-in outside the RO office. Aziz said the protest would continue until the votes were recounted. The demand has added another layer of uncertainty to the closely contested election process. The PPP has also raised allegations of electoral irregularities. Party leaders have accused authorities of disrupting polling and creating difficulties for voters and polling agents. PPP representatives have called for an impartial review of complaints. They said the Election Commission should examine allegations of irregularities to ensure that the voters’ mandate is protected. PPP Senator Sherry Rehman had earlier raised concerns over delays in polling. She also alleged that party polling agents were stopped from entering some polling stations. The PML-N has rejected the allegations of widespread rigging. Senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah said the PPP was using the rigging narrative to cover what he described as an electoral setback. He also called for an end to protests and sit-ins. Sanaullah said legitimate demands would be considered by the government, while warning that violence and armed activity would be dealt with according to law. The PML-N remains in a strong position overall after the first two phases of the AJK elections. It won nine of 13 seats in the Mirpur division during the first phase. In the second phase, the party secured 15 seats from the Muzaffarabad division and refugee seats. The PPP won four seats in the first phase and six in the second. The PML-N has so far secured 24 seats across the first two phases, while the PPP has won 10. The ruling party has said it needs only a few additional seats to reach a two-thirds majority in the AJK Assembly.

CHAKWAL: Three minors were allegedly subjected to sexual abuse in separate incidents reported in Chakwal district, with police registering cases against the suspects and arresting three men, including a mosque imam, while two others were taken into custody after an alleged exchange of fire. The incidents, reported in the jurisdictions of Wanhar and Kallar Kahar police stations, have caused concern among residents and prompted calls for effective protection of children and swift action against those found responsible. In the first case, a 10-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted by a local mosque imam after other children attending Quran lessons had left the mosque, according to the complaint lodged by her father with Wanhar police. The complainant said his two daughters regularly went to a nearby mosque in Mohallah Bawa Khan Baig to learn Quranic recitation. On the day of the alleged incident, the imam allegedly sent the 5years younger sister home early and dismissed the other children after hearing their lessons. According to the complaint, the suspect then allegedly called the 10-year-old girl into a room and sexually assaulted her. The girl was allegedly threatened with a knife and warned that she would be killed if she disclosed the incident to anyone. Police registered a case against the imam and launched an investigation. The suspect was subsequently arrested in an injured condition during an operation in the Manara area, police said. According to police, a raid on Wasnal Road, Manara, to arrest the suspect when he allegedly attempted to flee after seeing the police party. Police said the suspect stumbled and fell while fleeing, causing a pistol allegedly concealed in his waistband to discharge. He sustained a gunshot wound and was arrested before being shifted to the Trauma Centre in Kallar Kahar for medical treatment. The suspect was identified as Maulvi Saqlain Hussain, son of Nazar Hussain, a resident of Manara. In a separate incident within the jurisdiction of Kallar Kahar police station, a 16-year-old boy was allegedly sexually assaulted by a man who was staying at a local mosque in Shamsabad, near Khai village. According to the complaint filed by the boy’s father, who is a prayer leader at the mosque, the suspect allegedly assaulted his son and later attempted to assault him again. The complainant said the boy had initially remained silent about the alleged earlier incident out of fear. However, when he went to serve food to the traveller staying at the mosque, a commotion was heard after some time. The mosque caretaker and the boy’s father allegedly reached the spot and saw the suspect attempting to assault the boy, prompting the suspect to flee, according to the complaint. The boy later informed his father about the alleged earlier incident as well. In the third incident, two men allegedly involved in the sexual assault of a Class 10 student were arrested in an injured condition following an alleged exchange of fire in Chak Nagri, an area falling within Wanhar police jurisdiction. According to police, the suspects and two unidentified accomplices had allegedly taken the student to a nearby forest several days earlier, subjected him to severe physical assault and sexually assaulted him. Police alleged that the suspects recorded the incident and subsequently used the video to blackmail and intimidate the student. A police team later raided the suspected hideout to arrest the accused, police said. The suspects allegedly opened fire on the police party along with their two unidentified accomplices. During the ensuing exchange of fire, the two wanted suspects sustained gunshot wounds, allegedly after being hit by firing from their own accomplices, according to police. The two unidentified men escaped under the cover of darkness and the forest terrain. The injured suspects were arrested and shifted to a medical facility for treatment. Police said further investigation and legal proceedings were under way. The three cases have highlighted concerns over the vulnerability of children to sexual violence and exploitation. Residents have called for prompt investigation of the allegations, protection of the victims and strict action against suspects if the charges are established in court. Police officials said investigations into all the cases were continuing and that further action would be taken in accordance with the law.

SIALKOT: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has rejected claims that he questioned the Kashmiri identity of the people of Rawalakot, saying his remarks had been misunderstood and reaffirming Pakistan’s support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Addressing a public gathering in Sialkot on Friday, the senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said he had “never said that the people of Rawalakot are not Kashmiris.” He stressed that Pakistan’s bond with Kashmir remains unwavering and added that pro-Pakistan slogans continue to be raised in Indian-administered Kashmir. Khawaja Asif also pledged that the government would not allow the abolition of refugee-reserved seats, describing Kashmiri refugees as the rightful stakeholders whose political representation must be protected. “The refugee seats will not be abolished. Kashmiri refugees are the true heirs of these constituencies,” he told supporters, adding that the government remained committed to safeguarding their constitutional and political rights. The defence minister also criticized the Action Committee operating in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, accusing it of encouraging unrest despite the government having previously accepted many of its demands. He claimed that financial assistance amounting to Rs24-25 billion had already been provided to address public concerns. Without presenting evidence, Asif further alleged that some members of the committee were “suspicious” and receiving foreign funding, asserting that their activities were creating unnecessary instability instead of contributing to constructive dialogue. Turning to politics, the PML-N leader expressed confidence that his party would form the next government in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, saying the party remained committed to development, stability and public welfare in the region. His remarks come amid heightened political debate over Kashmir-related issues and governance in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, where political parties continue to campaign on questions of representation, development and regional stability ahead of future electoral contests.

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges has summoned Metropolitan Corporation Lahore’s Metropolitan Officer (Regulation), Jawad-ul-Hassan, to appear in person before the committee on September 1. The summons were issued on the direction of committee chairman Afzal Khokhar after the officer failed to attend an earlier committee meeting despite being served a notice. According to the National Assembly Secretariat, Jawad-ul-Hassan has been directed to appear at 2pm on September 1 in the Constitution Room of Parliament House, Islamabad. The committee took notice of his absence from its August 12 meeting and decided that his personal appearance should be ensured at the next proceedings. The summons were issued under Rule 227(3) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007. The provision allows the committee to take steps to secure attendance when required in connection with parliamentary proceedings. The official notice also warned that failure to comply could lead to further action under the powers available to the committee. These powers include authority similar to that of a civil court for enforcing attendance and requiring the production of relevant documents. To ensure that the summons are properly served and implemented, the National Assembly Secretariat has sought assistance from the Punjab chief secretary. The inspector general of police Punjab has also been asked to provide necessary assistance, within the law, to facilitate the officer’s attendance before the parliamentary committee. Meanwhile, the chief officer of the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore has been directed to ensure that Jawad-ul-Hassan is informed about the summons and appears before the committee personally. The latest development represents an escalation following the officer’s earlier failure to attend the proceedings. The committee is now seeking his direct appearance rather than allowing the matter to proceed in his absence. The September 1 hearing is expected to provide the committee an opportunity to question the officer directly and examine the circumstances surrounding his previous non-appearance.