Three arrested in fake tax invoice network costing state 360 million baht

Pakistan’s Parliament has approved legislation aimed at establishing a new legal framework for the country’s military command structure. The National Assembly and Senate passed the Defence Forces Act 2026 and amendments to the National Command Authority Act 2010 on Thursday. The legislation was approved despite strong opposition from opposition lawmakers, who objected to the speed at which the bills were brought before the Houses. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended the National Assembly session. The opposition later boycotted the voting process and walked out of the chamber in protest. The new Defence Forces Act provides a legal structure for the Defence Forces Headquarters. The headquarters will serve as a central institution for matters concerning national security, defence policy and coordination among the armed forces. Under the new framework, the Chief of Defence Forces will exercise operational command and control over the armed forces. The CDF will remain accountable to the federal government for matters related to command and control. The legislation also gives the CDF powers to improve coordination and integration among the Army, Navy and Air Force. The office will oversee joint operations, coordination and other matters involving the armed forces. The CDF will also have authority under relevant laws regarding the retirement, release and dismissal of military personnel, subject to constitutional provisions. The office will also be able to approve or reject resignations and retain personnel in service where permitted under the law. The federal government will frame rules and regulations needed to implement the new legislation. The CDF will also be authorised to issue orders and directions required to enforce the provisions of the Act. Parliament also approved amendments to the National Command Authority Act 2010. The changes replace references to the Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee with references to the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces. The legislation gives retrospective effect to key provisions from November 2025. The new laws are linked to changes introduced through the 27th Constitutional Amendment, which significantly altered Pakistan’s military command structure. Under the revised system, the Chief of Army Staff also serves as the Chief of Defence Forces. The office of Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee has been abolished under the new framework. The opposition strongly objected to the legislation being placed on the supplementary agenda. Opposition lawmakers said they had not been given sufficient time to examine the bills. Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas questioned the urgency of the legislation and called for more time for lawmakers to study the proposed changes. Mahmood Khan Achakzai also demanded that lawmakers be given at least a few days to review and debate the bills before voting. The government defended the procedure, saying parliamentary rules allow supplementary legislation to be introduced. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar argued that the bills had already been examined and approved by the National Assembly. The cabinet had approved the draft legislation earlier in the day during a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad. According to the government, the Defence Forces Act was necessary to provide administrative and legal arrangements for the office of the Chief of Defence Forces and its headquarters. The new framework also establishes the position of Commander of the National Strategic Command following the abolition of the CJCSC post. The commander is appointed by the prime minister on the recommendation of the army chief and CDF. The position carries a three-year term, with the possibility of another three-year term under the prescribed procedure.

FAISALABAD: In a landmark decision expected to reshape the service structure of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF), Punjab Governor and UAF Chancellor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has ordered the upgradation of the post of Research Officer with retrospective effect from April 25, 2007, bringing an end to what many describe as nearly two decades of discrimination against the university’s research cadre. The decision came after the Chancellor accepted a representation filed by Muzaffar Hussain Salik, a Research Officer at the Office of University Books and Magazines (OUBM). Besides approving the upgradation, the Chancellor declared the post of Research Officer a “Teacher of the University,” making its holders eligible for all related service, financial, seniority and pensionary benefits in accordance with the law. The dispute dates back to the implementation of the UAF Amended Service Statutes, 2007, introduced after the federal government’s policy to upgrade university teachers and teaching-equivalent positions with the concurrence of the Higher Education Commission (HEC). While several teaching and equivalent posts received the approved benefits, Research Officers and Senior Research Officers were allegedly left out despite performing comparable academic and research responsibilities. According to the representation, the exclusion created a longstanding disparity, depriving the affected employees of promotions, financial benefits, and equal treatment under the approved statutory framework. It argued that the selective implementation of the service statutes resulted in years of professional and financial disadvantage for members of the research cadre. After reviewing the legal and administrative record, the Chancellor ruled that the benefit of upgradation should be extended to Research Officers from the same effective date as Lecturers — April 25, 2007. The order effectively places the research cadre on par with other teaching-equivalent positions that had already been upgraded under the 2007 amendments. University officials and academic observers believe the decision will benefit around 66 Research Officers, Senior Research Officers and other teaching-equivalent employees, providing them with long-awaited financial relief, revised seniority, pensionary benefits and formal recognition within the university’s teaching community. The ruling has been widely welcomed by researchers, academics and legal experts, who describe it as one of the most significant service-related decisions in UAF’s recent history. They say the order reinforces the principles of equality, transparency and uniform implementation of statutory rights while setting an important precedent for public sector universities across Pakistan. For petitioner Muzaffar Hussain Salik, the decision marks the successful conclusion of a long legal and constitutional struggle. Beneficiaries have hailed the ruling as a collective victory for justice, merit and the rule of law, expressing hope that similar disparities in higher education institutions will now be addressed through fair and consistent implementation of service statutes.