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Second phase of AJK elections on Sunday in 9 Muzaffarabad division, 12 refugee constituencies

MUZAFFARABAD: Polling for the second phase of elections to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly will be held on Sunday in nine constituencies of Muzaffarabad division and all 12 constituencies reserved for Kashmiri refugees settled in Pakistan, where more than 340 candidates are contesting 21 seats. According to the AJK Election Commission, 207 candidates are in the fray for the nine constituencies in Muzaffarabad division, comprising five seats in Muzaffarabad district and two each in Neelum and Jhelum Valley districts. Another 137 candidates are contesting the 12 refugee constituencies, including six seats representing refugees from the Kashmir Valley and six from Jammu. A total of 809,621 voters are registered in Muzaffarabad division, including 427,955 men and 381,666 women. The 12 refugee constituencies have a combined electorate of 438,834, comprising 247,776 male and 191,054 female voters. Internet services were suspended again on Friday, less than 45 hour...
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Parts of Punjab, Sindh face urban flooding risk

• Tarbela, Mangla levels continue to rise amid monsoon rains • Medium-flood at Guddu and Sukkur barrages; Chenab may reach high-flood at Marala • PDMA says 45 killed in Punjab LAHORE: As the River Indus continues to flow at a medium flood level at Guddu and Sukkur barrages, water levels in the country’s major reservoirs — Tarbela and Mangla dams — have risen significantly over the past 15 days due to torrential rains in their catchment areas. According to reports issued by the Water and Power Deve­lopment Authority (Wapda), the water level at Tarbela dam increased from 1,504.31 feet on July 16 to 1,537 feet on July 31, a rise of 32.69 feet. The reservoir is now just 13 feet below its maximum conservation level of 1,550 feet. Also, the water level at Chashma Lake, which has a total capacity of 649 feet, rose to 648.50 feet on Friday from 646.80 feet on July 16. Similarly, the water level at Mangla dam rose from 1,173.20 to 1,195.55 feet over the same period, while its maximum conser...
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Pakistan welcomes Board of Peace developments under Gaza Peace Plan: PM Shehbaz

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that Pakistan welcomed developments under the Board of Peace towards implementing the disarmament process under the Gaza Peace Plan. Earlier today, US President Donald Trump said talks in Cairo between mediators and Hamas leaders on Thursday have led to a phased disarmament agreement in Gaza, but a Hamas official described the deal as a draft and US officials said Israel was sceptical the Palestinian group would surrender its weapons. “Today, the Board of Peace reached a HISTORIC agreement for the COMPLETE DISARMAMENT of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza,” Trump said in a social media post, adding that the disarmament would come in phases. In a social media post on X, PM Shehbaz said, “Pakistan welcomes developments under the Board of Peace towards the implementation of the disarmament process under the Gaza Peace Plan.” He emphasised that the mediating countries, including the United States of America, Egypt, Qatar and Turkiye, ...
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ECP refuses to recognise Achakzai as PkMAP chief over failure to hold intra-party polls

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday refused to recognise National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai as chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) over the party’s failure to hold intra-party elections. A full five-member bench of the commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the matter. Two other cases related to the party were also fixed for hearing. It was learnt that not only Achakzai’s leadership but also certain “controversial” amendments made to the party’s constitution and PkMAP’s account details were under question. At the initial hearing last week, the ECP bench had observed that a decision would first be made regarding the party’s counsel, Aimal Mandokhail. On Thursday, the chief election commissioner said an order would be issued regarding the power of attorney. Raja made the remarks after asking the lawyer who had signed the power of attorney submitted to the commission. Mandokha...
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Gangster Uzair Baloch’s brother shot, critically injured in Karachi’s Lyari: police

KARACHI: The brother of imprisoned Uzair Baloch , chief of the defunct People’s Amn Committee, was shot and critically wounded in Karachi’s Lyari area on Thursday evening, according to police. Chakiwara police, in a statement, said that Zubair Baloch, 40, was shot and injured on main Chakiwara Road, while two passersby were also injured. They were shifted to Civil Hospital Karachi. South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that Zubair had been arrested in seven criminal cases in 2012 and was released in January 2025. He added that Zubair was sitting outside his residence in Singu Lane when armed suspects on a motorcycle opened fire on him and fled the scene. Zubair sustained multiple injuries, including to his chest and abdomen, and was undergoing surgery. DIG Raza noted that one of the injured passersby was also in serious condition. The DIG added that the police were investigating the incident from different angles, including gang rivalry and personal enmity...
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Footprints: Trudging home in waist-deep water

AFTER being forced to leave his home submerged in the waters of Bhed Nullah, Aslam and his family have come back to the flooded village in Ferozwala to pick up some clothes, bedding, and other essential items. A large number of people, including his relatives, moved to higher ground and other cities after the nullah breached its bank and inundated villages along the GT Road. “Flooding in Bhed Nullah has always ruined our houses and farmland, throwing our life out of gear,” Aslam, a resident of Rahim Colony, told Dawn while walking beside a railway track towards his flooded house to pick up clothes. They had to vacate their houses after the floodwater suddenly entered their village, he said, adding that they left everything behind because there was no time to prepare. Several villages along the Lahore-Gujranwala tract of GT Road have been fully submerged after nearby nullahs overflowed For Aslam, life had been difficult before the floods, but he fears more hardships in the near ...
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22 villages in Punjab's Multan district partially submerged under floodwaters

LAHORE: At least 22 mouzas (villages) in Multan district have been submerged under three to four feet of floodwater from the River Chenab, forcing thousands of residents to move to safer places, while standing crops over large tracts have also been damaged, according to the district administration’s latest flood situation report. The report compiled by the assistant commissioners, available with Dawn , said the district has 545 mouzas, of which 138 are flood-prone. It said 22 mouzas have been partially inundated with up to 3-4 feet of water, including four in Multan Saddar, seven in Shujaabad and 11 in Jalalpur Pirwala tehsils. Residents said the advancing floodwater drove thousands of people to relocate with their cattle to safer areas, while cotton, fodder and other standing crops were submerged, causing substantial agricultural losses. The district administration said no mouza had been categorised as severely affected and no formal evacuation order had been issued. It added tha...
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