Interim bail of PTI chief, wife ex tended in Al- Q adir, Toshakhana c ases

S ta f f R e p o R t

The body of a 28-year-old woman, who had gone missing in the Indian-controlled area of Kargil was found in Gilgit-Baltistan s Kharmang district on Wednesday according to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Muhammad Jaffar DC Jaffar told media that the woman s body was retrieved from the Kargil river today and buried in Kharmang He said the body could be returned to India after contact between the foreign ministries of the countries once the woman s identity was confirmed through DNA testing Meanwhile Qasim, a resident of Kharmang, said the funeral prayer of the woman had been offered and the burial was performed according to Islamic rituals Earlier a pamphlet featuring the image of the woman was circulated by the Kargil police station from the Indian side The pamphlet was also sent to the GB administration for the recovery of the body The pamphlet stated that the woman, identified as Belqees Banoo, was five feet tall and clad in green clothes along with a red sweater It added that she went missing from her home in Akchamal on July 15 Baltistan Awami Action Committee Chairman Najaf Ali, in a statement, said that due to the closure of the old Skardu-Kargil road, people in the surrounding areas of the Line of Control faced severe difficulties in such situations He called for the reestablishment of historical routes to facilitate locals in both countries

The accountability court extended the interim bail of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in 190 million pound Al-Qadir Trust corruption and Toshakhana cases till July 31 while a sessions court extended interim bail of the PTI Chairman in six cases pertaining to May 9 riots till July 31

The accountability court also accepted Bushra Bibi’s request for exemption from one day appearance On being asked Imran Khan s counsel Barrister Gohar apprised the court that senior lawyer Khawaja Harris was in the Supreme Court and then had to go to the high court

Judge Muhammad Bashir suggested the hearing be adjourned for tomorrow Barrister Gohar however said tomorrow they had to appear in the high court, as per the instructions of the Supreme Court After that there are Muharram holidays he added and asked for a date after the break The accountability court extended the interim bail till July 31 and said the parties will have to extended final arguments on the interim bail on July 31

The PTI chief appeared before the accountability court along with his lawyers He was allowed to leave after marking his attendance local court on Wednesday extended interim bail of the PTI Chairman in six cases pertaining to May 9 riots till July 31, and instructed the accused to join the investigation in these cases Additional District and Session Judge Tahir Abbas Sapra heard the bail applications of the former prime minister in six FIRs registered at different police stations of the capital

At the outset of hearing, Imran Khan s counsel Sher Afzal Murawat filed a request seeking one-time exemption from attendance for his client as he was in Supreme Court The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was also to announce the verdict in an identical case he said The judge instructed the accused to ensure his attendance till 1:30pm

Sherr y unveils countr y ’s first- ever National Adaptation Plan

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We flagged climate justice slogan at COP-27 [in Egypt] Our greenhouse gas emissions are below one percent We made it acknowledged across the world that Pakistan is in the frontline of global warming and it has been established world over ” Senator Rehman said

The minister mentioned that currently the situation across the world showed forest fires going rampant which had been the case in Pakistan during the past year due to heatwaves

“Pakistan is having 53 degrees Celsius and it maintained this high temperature consecutively for three years she said Deliberating on the chapters of the Plan she said a special chapter on risk and vulnerabilities was made as the country had been repeatedly among the top climate vulnerable countries’ ranking of the German Watch She said no one could stop heatwaves but the associated risks like drought hydro-meteorological events glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) etc were manageable through timely interventions Pakistan had the world’s largest glaciers outside the polar region that were melting at a fast pace whereas in delta there was drought and salinity she added Moreover the plan also discussed flooding and agriculture whereas the water and food nexus was established in the plan to study that how to maintain food security for the population, she said

The minister underscored that Pak-

Thousands of professors threaten mass protest as HEC ignores salar y raises

ISLAMABAD

G h u l a m a b b a S

In a disconcerting development, the Higher Education Commission (HEC) has come under severe criticism for its failure to grant salary raises to PhD Tenure Track System (TTS) university professors resulting in deep frustration among the academic community The All Pakistan Tenure Track Association (APTTA) has taken a stand against the HEC s delaying tactics and negligence, demanding immediate resolution to the long-standing issue APTTA President Dr Yasar Shah expressed serious concern over HEC management s attitude and the lack of urgency in addressing the matter Weeks of mounting frustration culminated in a massive protest staged by APTTA members in front of the HEC office in Islamabad The protestors initially planned a sit-in to press for their demands until a notification was issued but Senator Mushtaq intervened to mediate between HEC and APTTA leading to a postponement of the dharna

During discussions between APTTA and HEC anomalies were uncovered in the salary draft prepared by HEC s finance office Incorrect figures were sent to the Government of Pakistan s Finance Division further delaying the resolution of the issue As per the mutual understanding reached in the discussions, APTTA presented revised salary figures based on data from various federal universities aiming to expedite the process

Despite these efforts there has been a notable lack of progress leaving APTTA members feel increasingly disheartened and disrespected The gravity of the situation warrants immediate attention and effective action from the HEC as the repercussions of this negligence could negatively impact future generations of the nation APTTA management highlighted the urgent need for rectification and called on the HEC to promptly increase the salaries, as already notified by the Government of Pakistan-Finance Division and the Prime Minister of Pakistan two years ago through notification No F No 4(6)R-4/2016 The fail- ure to act on this notification is a matter of great concern for the academic community

The National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) will be bound to give complete access to the ECP of records related to newly issued Computerized National Identity Cards (CNICs) The ECP will not be able to change a polling station five days before elections

Election candidates will be allowed to use only their pre-existing bank accounts for financing their election campaigns A National Assembly candidate will be allowed to spend Rs4m to Rs10m on his election campaign while a provincial assembly candidate will be allowed to spend Rs2m to Rs4m Every constituency will have the same number of registered voters

The difference in the number of registered voters at two constituencies will not be more than 5% Complaints against demarcation of a constituency will have to be launched within 30 days after notification of such demarcations Under the amendment bill the ECP will be bound to issue details of the polling staff on its website Election candidates will be allowed to raise objection to the deputation of polling staffs within 10 days after publication of these details The polling staff will not be allowed to perform election duties in their native districts Cameras will be installed at the polling stations but secrecy of ballot will also be ensured In case of withdrawal or rejection of nomination papers, the relevant fee will be returned to such candidates An election candidate is allowed to raise an objection to a polling station at a certain locality if he has solid reasons The political parties will submit their preferential lists of nominees for special seats in the legislatures within three days after the announcement of official election results The election tribunals will decide cases related to violation of an elections code of conduct in seven days and not 15 days The security personnel will perform their duties outside polling stations but will be allowed to enter a polling station with the permission of a PO in case of an eventuality The ECP will be bound to provide the voters list of a constituency to the relevant RO 30 days before an election The PO will be responsible to provide handicapped people the facilities to cast their votes

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Under the law the National Commission for Personal Data Protection (NCPDP) will be established which will act as a civil court to protect the private documents/data of the users and redress the grievances of the complainants istan would go water scarce by 2025 that needed urgent focus whereas other areas like urban development, air pollution, land, water and others had also been focussed in the plan She said that the plan had ministry and province specific strategies to achieve climate adaptation goal at the grassroots level as the local governments were the core of any adaptation plan

The ministry’s job was to guide provinces and therefore had developed partnerships in the plan and identified interventions as one province or ministry alone could not implement it she added Senator Rehman highlighted that the planning and development of public sector development programme would be defined by the National Adaptation Plan

In light of the HEC s inaction APTTA has given a stern warning to the senior management of HEC demanding that the salary increase be officially notified by 31st July 2023 Failure to meet this deadline will result in a massive protest, followed by a prolonged sit-in in early August 2023 Thousands of PhD TTS university teachers are expected to participate in the protest to amplify their voices and demand justice

The APTTA cabinet expressed disappointment in HEC s lack of tangible action, citing only verbal commitments and ongoing delaying tactics The academic community expects the HEC to uphold its responsibilities and fulfill the promises made to them in a timely and efficient manner The situation has escalated to a critical point, and the academic community s patience is running thin As the deadline looms, the ball is now in HEC’s court to address the long-pending issue and avert the potential crisis that may unfold

Speaking to the meeting PM Shehbaz said the government was implementing the “Whole of the Government Policy to promote Foreign Direct Investment in the country The policy would help expedite the implementation process of the projects under foreign investment The prime minister appreciated Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik for his successful efforts in finalizing the Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) agreement with Azerbaijan This agreement is not only an important step forward to promote bilateral trade ties with Azerbaijan but it will also prove to be a milestone for the energy security of Pakistan,” he added The federal cabinet approved the reorganization of accountability courts on the recommendation of the Ministry of Law and Justice under which 11 accountability courts will be changed into seven banking courts, two intellectual tribunals, a special court central, and a special court in Balochistan This restructuring will not incur any additional costs The federal cabinet also approved the reorganization of the Board of Directors of Sui Northern Gas Pipeline (SNGPL) besides approving the appointment of members of the Selection Committee of Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority The federal cabinet approved the National Adaptation Plan 2023 on the recommendation of the Ministry of Climate Change Under the plan the government along with other partners will take measures to protect climate-prone communities from the adverse effects of climate change On the recommendation of the Ministry of Climate Change, the Federal Cabinet approved to refer the Islamabad Nature Conservation and Wild Life Management Act 2023 to the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases (CCLC) for the protection of wildlife and natural assets in Islamabad