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An important development has emerged in the Sarhad University case, with Dr Jadoon Khan and Dr Aina, the wife of Colonel Asfandyar, reportedly dismissed from their jobs.

According to sources, the employment of Dr Jadoon Khan and Dr Aina was terminated following administrative action in connection with the Sarhad University case.

Sources said Dr Aina is the wife of Colonel Asfandyar. The dismissal of both individuals from their positions is being described as a significant development in the case.

However, the available information does not provide details regarding the reasons for their dismissal, the nature of the administrative proceedings or the formal decision of the relevant authorities.

LAHORE: The alleged use of a government aircraft to attend the graduation ceremony of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s daughter has been raised in the Punjab Assembly.

According to private TV channel Express News, opposition Punjab Assembly member Waqas Mann submitted an adjournment motion, stating that media reports had claimed a government aircraft was used to attend the graduation ceremony, allegedly incurring expenses of approximately Rs125 million.

The adjournment motion questioned the use of government resources and stated that, if the media reports were accurate, complete details of the matter should be presented before the House.

The lawmaker demanded an explanation regarding the legal and administrative approval for the use of the government aircraft, details of the expenses incurred and the sources through which the payments were made.

The motion also called for permission to debate the matter in the House so that the facts surrounding the alleged use of government resources could be brought to light.

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The appointment of vice chancellors to five major medical universities in Punjab has hit a deadlock after Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider refused to sign the summary sent by the Punjab government.

According to details, the Punjab governor has decided to personally meet and interview all the candidates shortlisted for the positions. The governor will conduct interviews of three shortlisted candidates for each university.

The governor has summoned all the candidates for meetings on Monday.

Following approval from the Punjab chief minister and the provincial cabinet, five names had been proposed for appointment as vice chancellors of the five universities.

According to sources at the Governor House, the governor will not sign the summary without meeting the candidates.

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Governor Punjab Sardar Saleem Haider said that if he had reservations about any candidate, he could raise an objection to the summary submitted by the Punjab government. He said he had 15 days to decide on the summary.

The Punjab government had sent the summary containing names for the appointment of vice chancellors of King Edward Medical University and Fatima Jinnah Medical University.

Names for the vice chancellorships of the University of Health Sciences, Faisalabad Medical University and Rawalpindi Medical University had also been sent.

The National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology has expressed anger over substandard mobile services and summoned telecom companies to explain the situation.

A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology was held at Parliament House under the chairmanship of Member of the National Assembly Syed Amin-ul-Haque.

Discussing the issue of poor-quality mobile services and internet connectivity across the country, the committee chairman said it was necessary to address the problem of substandard mobile services nationwide.

He said improving the quality of mobile services was extremely important, adding that users often had to make a call three times.

Officials of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) acknowledged that there were problems with internet quality and mobile services across the country.

The PTA officials said four show-cause notices had been issued to telecom companies during the past six months. Over the past few years, 48 show-cause notices and 22 warning letters had been issued to telecom companies, while fines amounting to Rs68.9 million had been imposed.

The officials said the maximum fine that the PTA could impose on a telecom company was Rs350 million.

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Committee member Ahmed Atiq said 70 per cent of areas in the country were facing mobile service problems.

Dr Mahesh Kumar said Ufone’s service was not working properly at all.

Committee member Shazia Fareed said mobile service at Islamabad’s largest government hospital, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), was extremely poor, adding that even calls could not be made through the mobile service.

Secretary of the Ministry of IT Zarar Hasham Khan said one of the reasons for poor mobile service was the lack of standard-quality equipment and machinery.

He said a committee comprising K-Electric and the Ministry of IT had been formed to examine how towers could be protected from load-shedding.

Zarar Hasham Khan said load-shedding did not only result in power outages but also affected businesses.

The committee summoned Jazz, Zong and Ufone to its next meeting.

The federal government has announced that the National Assembly and Senate will hold a debate on the creation of new provinces in October.

Speaking to the media, Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said that sessions of the National Assembly and Senate would not be held in September, while sessions of both houses would take place in October.

He said the issue of establishing new provinces would be discussed during the October sessions of both houses.

Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said Parliament House was the proper forum for debate on the creation of new provinces.

He clarified that Islamabad was not going to be made a province, saying the federal capital was instead moving towards adopting a new governance model.

The minister said there was no proposal to turn Islamabad into a separate province.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai have been in contact over the appointment of a new Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) and two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

According to sources, the prime minister has sent a response to Achakzai’s letter, assuring him that the appointments of all three officials will be made in accordance with the constitutional procedure.

Sources said the letter sent by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the appointment of ECP members has been received by Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai.

The prime minister, according to sources, assured Achakzai in his letter that the constitutional procedure would be followed. Achakzai is currently in Quetta and is expected to reach Islamabad within the next two to three days.

According to sources, the opposition leader will consult the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the prime minister’s letter and will also take Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Raja Nasir Abbas into confidence.

Consultation between the prime minister and the opposition leader is required for the appointment of the Chief Election Commissioner and other ECP members.

If the prime minister and opposition leader agree on a name, the proposed names are sent to the parliamentary committee for approval.

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However, in the event of a lack of consensus, both sides submit three names for each position to the parliamentary committee, which makes the final decision.

The five-year terms of incumbent Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, ECP member from Sindh Nisar Durrani and ECP member from Balochistan Shah Muhammad Jatoi ended on January 26, 2025.

Following the completion of their terms, Article 215(4) of the Constitution required the appointments of the Chief Election Commissioner and ECP members to be completed within 45 days.

However, despite the constitutional deadline passing on March 12, 2025, new appointments to the three positions were not made.

As a result of the 26th Constitutional Amendment passed in October last year, the Chief Election Commissioner and other members were allowed to remain in office until the appointment of their successors.

The eligibility criteria for the position of Chief Election Commissioner include former Supreme Court judges, technocrats and bureaucrats below the age of 68.

Similarly, for ECP membership, names of retired High Court judges, bureaucrats and technocrats below the age of 65 can be considered.