Author: dailybalochistantimes.com

Islamabad: The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI)-based weekly inflation decreased by 0.91 percent during the week ended on July 30, 2026, for the combined consumption group, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.

According to PBS data, the SPI for the week under review declined to 357.61 points from 360.88 points recorded in the previous week. On a year-on-year basis, the SPI increased by 9.05 percent.

The weekly SPI, with base year 2015-16=100, covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.

The SPI for the lowest consumption group (up to Rs 17,732) decreased by 1.19 percent to 345.63 points from 349.80 points.

Likewise, the SPI for consumption groups of Rs 17,733-22,888, Rs 22,889-29,517, Rs 29,518-44,175 and above Rs 44,175 declined by 1.37 percent, 0.97 percent, 0.81 percent and 0.68 percent, respectively.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 27 items (52.94 percent) increased, six items (11.77 percent) decreased, while 18 items (35.29 percent) remained unchanged.

On a week-on-week basis, the items that witnessed decrease in prices included tomatoes which declined by 22.96 percent, followed by chicken 11.20 percent, electricity charges for Q1 9.06 percent, bananas 0.70 percent, sugar 0.16 percent and pulse moong 0.15 percent.

On the other hand, the prices of onions witnessed the highest increase of 7.62 percent, followed by diesel 4.17 percent, eggs 3.16 percent, petrol 2.46 percent, wheat flour 2.00 percent, potatoes 1.93 percent, LPG 1.90 percent, pulse gram 1.44 percent, vegetable ghee (2.5kg) 0.71 percent, pulse mash 0.69 percent, pulse masoor 0.64 percent and firewood 0.15 percent.

On the other hand, prices of tomatoes declined by 22.96 percent, followed by chicken 11.20 percent, electricity charges for Q1 9.06 percent, bananas 0.70 percent, sugar 0.16 percent and pulse moong 0.15 percent.

On a year-on-year basis, prices of potatoes declined by 30.89 percent, followed by pulse gram 19.89 percent, chicken 19.56 percent, sugar 17.48 percent, salt powder 14.09 percent, pulse masoor 12.80 percent, eggs 8.38 percent and pulse moong 7.38 percent over the corresponding week of last year.

Major annual increases were recorded in the prices of tomatoes by 228.71 percent, followed by onions 95.36 percent, wheat flour 78.65 percent, LPG 51.76 percent, diesel 37.42 percent, petrol 23.28 percent, gents sponge chappal 16.69 percent, mutton 16.06 percent, chilies powder 15.20 percent, bananas 14.69 percent, beef 13.44 percent and bread 9.69 percent, according to the PBS.

Islamabad: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that a conviction in a criminal case cannot be sustained on the basis of speculation, assumptions or incomplete evidence, holding that an offence of criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) can only be established if the prosecution proves that the disputed money or property had been entrusted to the accused or was under his lawful control.

On these legal grounds, the apex court accepted the review petition of Dr. Waqar Hameed and set aside his conviction.

Justice Shakeel Ahmad authored the judgment on Criminal Review Petition No. 122 of 2019 on behalf of a three-member bench comprising Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi.

The court held that the prosecution had completely failed to prove that the disputed government funds had ever been entrusted to Dr. Waqar Hameed or had come under his lawful possession. It observed that “entrustment” is an essential and indispensable ingredient of an offence under Section 409 PPC, and in its absence the offence of criminal breach of trust cannot legally be made out.

The judgment further noted that a co-accused in the same case had already been acquitted by the Lahore High Court on the basis of the same evidence. It held that where the prosecution case against co-accused persons rests on identical evidence, and there is no independent and reliable evidence against the remaining accused, the principles of justice, equality and consistency require a fresh judicial assessment.

The Supreme Court also observed that the prosecution relied upon a challan bearing disputed signatures, but no forensic examination of those signatures was ever conducted. The investigating officer himself admitted that he had merely “assumed” that the accused had deposited the amount. The court held that criminal convictions must be based on solid, reliable and conclusive evidence rather than conjecture, assumptions or guesswork.

The judgment further stated that the prosecution failed to establish who had withdrawn the money from the government treasury, in whose name the treasury token had been issued, who had submitted the documents to the treasury, and who had ultimately received the payment. According to the court, the prosecution’s failure to prove these fundamental facts fatally weakened its case, entitling the accused to the benefit of doubt.

The court also held that, during the recording of the accused’s statement under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Dr. Waqar Hameed was not confronted with the crucial evidence and documents relied upon against him, thereby depriving him of a meaningful opportunity to present his defence. Such a course of action, the court observed, was inconsistent with the constitutional guarantee of a fair trial.

The Supreme Court further held that Section 5(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947 creates a separate and independent offence, each of whose legal ingredients must be proved independently. However, the trial court as well as the High Court had failed to examine this aspect in accordance with the law.

The court observed that although the scope of review jurisdiction is limited, it may be exercised where there has been a manifest error in the application of law, disregard of material evidence, or a serious miscarriage of justice. On these grounds, the Supreme Court allowed Dr. Waqar Hameed’s review petition, set aside his conviction and held that maintaining the conviction on such evidence would be contrary to the requirements of law and justice.

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs, Gilgit-Baltistan and SAFRON Engineer Amir Muqam on Friday ordered an immediate rescue operation after contact was lost with a 10 member international mountaineering team following an avalanche near Broad Peak (8,047 metres) in Gilgit-Baltistan, directing all relevant authorities to coordinate with the Pakistan Army to locate and assist the climbers.

Taking notice of reports received from the Alpine Club of Pakistan (ACP) and the district administration of Shigar, the minister instructed all concerned departments to remain on high alert and accelerate search and rescue efforts.

Mr Muqam said every available resource should be utilised to ensure the safety of the missing climbers, who were part of an international expedition led by renowned mountaineer Nirmal “Nims” Purja.

According to initial reports, the team includes Pakistani climber Sohail Sakhi from Hunza as well as mountaineers from Nepal, the United States, Oman, China and other countries.

Expressing deep concern over the incident, the minister prayed for the safety of the climbers and directed rescue teams to keep the government informed of developments on a real time basis.

Broad Peak, located in the Karakoram range of Gilgit-Baltistan, is the world’s 12th highest mountain and attracts climbers from across the globe during the summer climbing season.

Authorities have not yet confirmed the condition or exact whereabouts of the missing expedition members.

Islamabad: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the implementation of comprehensive reforms in the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), stressing the need for greater transparency, stronger oversight, and enhanced institutional capacity to ensure an efficient and accountable petroleum sector.

Chairing a high-level meeting on revamping and digitization of OGRA, the prime minister said the government’s reform agenda must be implemented uniformly across all public institutions.

He instructed authorities to develop a robust nationwide fuel movement monitoring system by adopting the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) modern tracking mechanism as a model.

The prime minister also called for the use of advanced technology and software to digitally monitor the entire petroleum supply chain, from ports and refineries to petrol pumps, to improve transparency and curb irregularities.

To strengthen OGRA’s institutional capacity, he directed that reputable experts from the private sector be recruited through a transparent, merit-based process as part of the authority’s restructuring. He assured that the government would provide all necessary professional expertise to support the reform process.

Reiterating the government’s commitment to protecting public resources, the prime minister said every penny of taxpayers’ money would be safeguarded and warned that no one would be allowed to exploit consumers or manipulate the system.

He also instructed all regulatory authorities to establish formal coordination mechanisms with their respective ministries and directed that work on upgrading the country’s oil refineries under the approved policy be expedited.

During the meeting, OGRA Chairman briefed participants on the authority’s current performance, key challenges, and a comprehensive reform programme.

The meeting was informed that OGRA has made significant progress in digitally monitoring the petroleum supply chain through the activation of several systems, including the National Monitoring Dashboard, Tanker Track and Trace System, Depot Tank Telemetry, Rahguzar Mobile Application, Digital Sales Entry System at petrol pumps, and a Central Monitoring Cell.

Officials said these digital platforms are enabling more effective monitoring of petroleum products from transportation and storage to retail sales.

The prime minister was also informed that a data-driven enforcement campaign carried out during July 2026 detected multiple cases of hoarding, unnecessary supply disruptions, and other regulatory violations.

As a result, authorities issued show-cause notices, sought explanations from those involved, and initiated legal proceedings where necessary.

The meeting also reviewed OGRA’s broader reform agenda, which includes digitalization of the authority, restructuring of its enforcement mechanism, establishment of a compliance wing, reforms to the licensing framework, improved legal management, strengthening of financial resources, and reorganization of the institutional structure.

Appreciating the proposed reform programme, PM Shehbaz Sharif directed that the digital monitoring system be made fully operational as soon as possible to eliminate hoarding and profiteering while ensuring complete transparency in the oil and gas sector.

He emphasized that uninterrupted fuel supplies and fair pricing for consumers remained the government’s top priorities and made it clear that negligence or corruption would not be tolerated.

The prime minister also directed relevant ministries and departments to expedite all legal, administrative, and policy measures necessary to strengthen OGRA and modernize Pakistan’s regulatory framework.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Ministers Azam Nazeer Tarar, Dr. Musadik Malik, Ahad Khan Cheema, Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Ali Pervaiz Malik, Special Assistant Tariq Bajwa, and other senior government officials.