Author: dailybalochistantimes.com

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ATC acquits PTI Senator Azam Swati in Oct 4 protest funding case


Islamabad: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Friday acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Azam Swati in a case related to the alleged financing of the October 4 protest, citing a lack of evidence.



ATC Judge, Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict during the hearing, observing that the prosecution had failed to produce any evidence linking the senator to the alleged offence.



Addressing Azam Swati in the courtroom, the judge remarked that not a single prosecution witness had testified against him. He further noted that although the prosecution had alleged financial support for the protest, it had failed to produce even a single bank account or financial record to substantiate the claim.



The court also observed that Azam Swati was already in jail when the case was registered against him.



Judge Sipra clarified that Swati’s acquittal would not affect the proceedings against the remaining accused, as their trial would continue separately and the nature of the allegations against them was different.



The court subsequently acquitted Azam Swati for want of evidence. The case had been registered against the PTI senator at Noon Police Station.



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No flour shortage in Punjab, supply continues uninterrupted: official


Lahore: The supply of flour across the province is continuing uninterrupted and there is no shortage of flour in the market.



A spokesperson for the Food Safety and Consumer Protection Department said this here on Friday: “Certain elements are spreading false rumours to mislead the public.”



The Punjab government was continuously and closely monitoring the situation to ensure the uninterrupted supply of quality flour to the public, spokesperson said and sharing the latest figures, he stated that after grinding government wheat, flour mills in Punjab supplied 109,799 bags of 10-kg flour to the market at a price of Rs 1,100 per bag. In addition, after purchasing wheat from the private sector and milling it, 396,196 bags of 10-kg flour were supplied across all districts of Punjab. Likewise, 78,996 bags of 20-kg flour were also supplied.



The spokesperson further said that a total of 663,987 bags of 10-kg flour have been supplied across all districts of the province, which clearly demonstrates that all flour mills in Punjab were operating normally and flour production was continuing without interruption.



The spokesperson said that all necessary and effective measures were being taken to maintain the flour supply chain, and no disruption in the supply of flour to the public would be allowed.



He also made it clear that strict legal action would be taken against hoarders, profiteers without any discrimination and no leniency would be shown towards them.



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PU ISCS organises seminar on trafficking in persons


Lahore: Punjab University’s Institute of Social and Cultural Studies (ISCS), in collaboration with the Government of the Punjab, CrossEdge, and Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), organised a seminar to mark the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons under the theme ‘Trapped Behind the Scam: Human Trafficking for Forced Criminality and Cyber-enabled Financial Fraud.’



PU VC Prof Dr Muhammad Ali, former Health Minister Punjab Dr. Saeed Elahi, Director ISCS Prof. Dr. Farhan Navid Yousaf, Additional Secretary Home and Focal Person TIP, Government of the Punjab Ayesha Mumtaz, representatives from government institutions, law enforcement agencies, civil society, media, legal fraternity, academia, and students were present.



The seminar’s aim to raise awareness about emerging forms of human trafficking and the growing exploitation of vulnerable individuals in forced criminality and cyber-enabled financial fraud. In his address, PU VC Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ali emphasized the need for collective efforts involving educational institutions, government agencies, law enforcement, civil society, media, and the legal community to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable populations.



Dr Saeed Elahi followed by an interactive question-and-answer session with participants. Ayesha Mumtaz highlighted government initiatives and interventions to counter trafficking in persons.



Assistant Director Investigation, AHTC, FIA Syed Zain ul Abideen spoke on the nexus between trafficking in persons, forced criminality, and cyber-enabled financial fraud. CEO CrossEdge Barrister Haaris Ramzan emphasized the importance of prevention, protection and rehabilitation of trafficking victims.



Senior Analyst Salman Abid highlighted the crucial role of media in public awareness and responsible reporting on trafficking-related issues.



Finance Secretary Lahore High Court Bar Association Ali Raza Khokhar discussed trafficking as a human rights abuse and the role of the justice system in ensuring accountability and protecting victims.



Prof. Dr. Farhan Navid Yousaf underscored the importance of creating awareness among young people about emerging forms of exploitation, particularly those facilitated through digital platforms and deceptive online schemes.



He said that seminar provided an important platform for dialogue on the evolving nature of human trafficking and highlighted the need for stronger public awareness, institutional coordination, digital literacy, victim protection, and effective legal mechanisms to address forced criminality and cyber-enabled financial exploitation.



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PRA seals tax defaulters’ premises


Lahore: The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) has intensified its enforcement campaign against tax defaulters across the province. During operations conducted in Lahore and other cities, three premises, including a hotel, were sealed for tax non-compliance.



PRA spokesperson told media here Friday that the action was taken after tax evasion was established and repeated violations of tax laws were detected. Additionally, dozens of food outlets and aesthetic clinics were issued notices for failing to use Point of Sale (POS) machines.



The spokesperson stated that failure to deposit taxes collected from the public into the government treasury in a timely manner constitutes a violation of the law.



He further emphasized that non-use of POS machines facilitates the concealment of sales records and contributes to tax fraud. To ensure transparency in tax collection through digital monitoring, the implementation and use of POS machines is mandatory across the province.



The public has also been advised to obtain only PRA-verified receipts bearing the official QR code after making payments to ensure that their transactions are properly recorded and verified.



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Policy overhaul key to unlocking investment


Islamabad: President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI), Sardar Tahir Mehmood, on Friday stressed the urgent need for adopting a comprehensive export-led growth strategy, saying that sustainable economic prosperity, employment generation and macroeconomic stability could only be achieved by significantly enhancing Pakistan’s exports.



Talking to different delegations from the trade and industrial sectors here, he said Pakistan possessed immense industrial and entrepreneurial potential, but structural challenges, high cost of doing business, expensive energy, cumbersome taxation, regulatory bottlenecks and limited access to global markets continued to constrain the country’s export performance, said a press release.



Tahir Mehmood urged the government to formulate a long-term, predictable and business-friendly export policy that encouraged industrial expansion, value addition, innovation and diversification of export markets.



He emphasized that facilitating exporters through simplified procedures, affordable financing, technological upgradation and a competitive business environment was essential to unlocking Pakistan’s true export potential.



The private sector stood ready to work closely with the government in developing practical policies that promoted investment, industrialization and export competitiveness, he said adding that stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors would help restore investor confidence and place the national economy on the path of sustainable growth.



He reiterated ICCI’s commitment to serving as an effective bridge between the business community and policymakers, adding that the Chamber would continue advocating reforms aimed at improving the ease of doing business and strengthening Pakistan’s position in international markets.



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Pakistan always fully supports right of Kashmiri people to self-determination: Syedal Khan


Quetta: Deputy Chairman Senate Syedal Khan Nasir on Friday said that the services of the Kashmiri people living in Balochistan for the development and prosperity of the province are not hidden from anyone.



He said that all possible steps would be taken to resolve the problems being faced by the Kashmiri people, Balochistan is a common home for all of us, for the construction and development of which we would have to work together.



He said this while talking to various delegations called on him here.



Kashmiris living in Balochistan were also among the delegations. The delegations included Tariq Butt Advocate, Javed Ahmed Khan, Jahangir Khan Kharoti, Sameera Khan, Mir Zaman Lehri, Mir Liaquat, Liaquat Rajput and others.



During the meetings, the overall political situation of the country, federal development projects underway in the province, and other issues were discussed.



The delegations informed Deputy Chairman Senate Syedal Khan Nasir about the problems being faced by the people in detail, on which the Deputy Chairman assured to resolve the issues.



Deputy Chairman Senate Syedal Khan Nasir said that Pakistan has always fully supported the right of the Kashmiri people to self-determination and openly condemned the Indian atrocities on the Kashmiris.



He said that Pakistan would continue to support the Kashmiri people in the future saying that the Kashmiri people have been living in Balochistan like brothers for centuries and their services for the development and prosperity of the province are not hidden from anyone.



He said that Balochistan is the common home of all the nations living here, whose development and prosperity is the responsibility of all of us, every possible effort would be made to resolve the problems faced by the Kashmiri people living in Quetta and other areas of Balochistan.



During the meeting, the coordinators of the Deputy Chairman Senate informed Deputy Chairman Senate Syedal Khan Nasir in detail about their performance in one month and the resolution of the problems of the people of the province.



Syedal Khan Nasir said that in order to maintain close contact with the people, he has appointed coordinators so that they could find out the problems of the people and convey them to him and practical steps would be taken to solve these problems.