The News intcrnstional, Karacht, Monday, July 13, 2026,


JI to form Grand
Kashmir Peace Ji irga
for talks on AJK crisis

‘Wants immediate govt-JAAC dialogue; says peace
in AJK vital to safeguarding Kashmir cause

By our correspondent

LAHORE: Jamaat-etslami Rashid Turabl and Dr Khalid their lives for the cause,
Mahmood. Hafiz Nacem also |.

Pakistan's Majlis-eShura has

Mushtaq Khon and for-
mer AJK JI chiefs Abdul

that countless | Pakistanis  Stressed that representation oflp
and Kashmiris had sacrificed refugees from Indian Dicgally
Occupied Jammu and Kash-
Nacem described Kashmir mir ard the occupied territory

decided lo establish a Grand indicated that the commit. as Pakistan's jugular vein. and itoclf'in the assembly could not
Kashmir Peace Jirga to facil- tee would be expanded to said the state should act like be abolished. ~

ilate dialogue between the include former civil bureaus a caring guardian by embrace ... .

He said the issue of the

government and the Joint crals, retired judges, ex-mili- ing aggneved citizens instead reserved seats should be
Awami Action Committce tary officialsandmembersof of allowing tensions to. esca- resolved through negotia-

GAAC) in an effort to restore
peace and normality in Azad
Janu and Kashmir (AJK),

‘The decision was taken at
@ meeting of the party's Cen-
tal Majlis-e-Shura, chaired
by JI Emir Hafiz Nacemur
Rehman at Mansoora on
Sunday. The jirga will engage
both the government and the
SAAC, with the restoration
of peace and resolution of ©
issues in AJK identified as its
top priorities.            oo

To oversce the initiative,
Hafiz Naeem constituted
a committee, headed by JL
Deputy Emir Lisquat Baloch.

civil society from AJK. .
Addressing the meeting,
the JI chief urged the fed-
eral government to initiate
negotiations without delay
to restore normality in the

region. He said dialogue *

was the only viable way to
resolve the ongoing crisis
and prevent further deterio-
ration of the situation. ..

The Shura  ‘expressed
deep concer over the pre

vailing situation in AJK, .

warning that continued
unrest could adversely affect
the broader Kashmir cause,
It reiterated that no com-

late. Referring to the security tions and expressed con-
challenges in Balochistanand fidence that a workable
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, he solution could be found.
cautioned that Pakistan could "No one ts bigger or smaller,
not afford another internal The government should set
confict nAJK.                          aside stubbornness and ego
He announced that the .and engage in meaningful
expanded commitice would dialogue,” he said, adding
soon visit Rawalakot to meet that Jamaat-e-lslami had no
JAAC leaders and make political interest in the dis-

..| every possible effort to bring pute and was acting solely

the situation under control to protect peace and safe-
through dialogue. guard the Kashmir cause.

Commenting on the'con-. The JI chief also said the
troversy surrounding the 12 party could not remain a
reserved seats in the AJK Leg- silent spectator while blood
shine Assembly, Hf, Nacom was being shed in AJK,
acknowledged that some stressing that further vio-


AIVADH:  Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Energy Miniter Sardar Awals Ahmed Khan Legharl holding
talks with Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan to deepen cooperation in the energy sector
and strengthen their broader economic partnership, Sunday.

Online         PPP leader accuses
registration                  °             e           ®
for Haj        police of inaction
during militant attack

surpasses
808  000             By Mohammad Zalar Baloch while sporadic fighting con- a grave security failure,
?                                                     tinued for more than three “He also questioned the
:               QUETTA: Senior Pakt- hours before the assailants ‘effectiveness of merging the
applicants     stan Peoples Party (PPP) were forced to retreat, ©      Levies Force into the police


‘The committee includes JI promise could be made on of the protesters’ concerns lence must be Prevented at
AJK Emir Dr Muhammad the Kashmir issue, stating were legitimate. However, he: all costs.

AGP report exposes Rs18. 6bn discrepancy
in Pakistan Railways inventory

By Kasim abbas               down of major financial irregularities class of locomotives.

and losses resulting from structural neg- The report also highlighted astro
ISLAMABAD: The latest Auditor General  ligence, Incorrect inventory reporting tural downsising within the Stores
‘of Pakistan (AGP) report on the inven» amounted to 8 whopping R23,42.08 Department. The total workforce dras-
tory of stores maintained by Pakistan million being falsely recorded in the final tically declined from a historical aver-
Railways has exposed a glaring discrep Financial Statements, Scrap material age of 6,605 employces, or 5.41 percent
ancy of over Rs18 billion between the worth Rsl,469.05 million was sold with of PR's total workforce, between 1960
organisation's official records and fts out conducting market surveys, fixing and 1065, to just 1,091 employees, or
actual financial statements, .. ...    reserve prices, or preparing correct tere 1.84 percent of the total workforce, by
‘The audit, conducted by the Directo- der documentation, with explicit cases 2021-22, Budgetary analysis during the
rate General of Audit Railways Lahore, of fraudulent scrap sales accounting for audited period showed frequent fluc
covered the financial years from 2016-17 Rs$2.33 million Unauthorised and unau- tuations, with the department facing a
to 2022-23, The findings reveal severe thentic adjustments worth Rs1,407.60 significant budget overshoot of Rs1,102
lapses in internal controls, multi-bile million were made directly within the million in fiscal year 2021-22, followed
lion-rupee accounting mismatches, Material Accounting System. Track mate- by an expenditure deficit of Rs120 mil-

blockages of capital, and fraudulent rial worth Rs$76.26 million deteriorated lion in 2022-23,
practices within the department's B  under the open sky due toacomplete . To remedy the deep-seated finan
store depots,
. The core of the financial discrepancy while Rx2,4SS.40 milion worth of scrap Audit has suggested stringent correc
lies in a massive contradiction between and surplus stock remained undisposed, tive actions, including swiftly devel-
Pakistan Railways’ physical tracking locking up valuable real estate and cap- oping Standard Operating Procedures
systems and its books. According to the  fal.      .                                   -       to track all modifications within the
report, as of June 30, 2023, the Material *      Pakistan Railways failed to replace MAS and aligning reporting with
Accounting System recorded PR's total defective material worth R3596.22 million International Financial Reporting
inventory value at Rs4,804.73 million. and procured material worth Rs066.38. Standards, launching immediate high-
Conversely, the offical Financial State- million without establishing required level inquiries into the fraudulent
ments reported the inventory value at stocking levels, leading to severe overs scrap sales to fix responsibility and
a staggering Rs23,462.07 million. This stocking. Procurement and manuface initiate recovery from defaulters for
resulted in an unexplained discrepancy turing conducted without proper need sub-standard or defective materials,
of Rs18,657:34 million, marking a 29 per. assessments blocked Rs157.31 millionin and arranging proper storage and
cent increase in accounting gaps com- capital, and shockingly, Rs18.702 million stacking facilities across the entire
pared tothe closing balance of 2019,. was spent on procuring deleted items network to prevent the ongoing decay

‘The audit report outlined a break- and materials for an already obsolete of expensive track material.

Zardari, Bilawal pay tribute to
1931 Kashmiri martyrs

 Reaffirm support for Kashmiris’  right to self-determination

“Byour correspondent - the passage of decades, inline with the wishes of the saying thelr blood laid the
Kashmiris continued to Kashmiri people and the rel. foundation of the Kashmiri
ISLAMABAD; President Asif struggle against what he evant UN Security Council people's long and dignified
Ati Zardari and Pakistan Peo- described as India’s illegal resolutions. .     ~ Struggle for democratic,
ples Party (PPP) Chairman occupation of the territory. ~~ He also called on India to political and human rights,
Bitawal Bhutto Zardari on
Sunday paid glowing tribute than 900,000 Indian troops sion in the occupied terri- the wortd that the yearning
to the 22 Kashmiri martyrs continued to maintain a tory, halt human rights vio- for dignity, justice and the
of July 13, 1981, reaffirming heavy military presence in lations, release all political right to determine one’s ont
Pakistan's unwavering sup- IIOJK, while India’s unilat- prisoners, lift the military future can never be silenced.
port for the people of Indian eral actions of August 5, siege and stop attempts to by force,” Bilawal said.
IMegally Occupied Jammu 2019, were aimed at strip- alter the demographic com- — Reaffirming the PPP's
and Kashmir (IIOJK) and ping the Kashmiri people of position of the region,           Steadfast solidarity with the
calling for a peaceful reso- their distinct Identity and . Paying homage to the people of HQUK, he said last-
lution of the longstanding reducing them toa minority marlyra, the president ing peace in South Asia was
dispute in accordance with in their own homeland,          prayed that Allah Almighty inseparable from a just and
the aspirations of the Kashe —_ He also criticised India grant them the highest place peaceful settlement of the
tmiri people and the relevant for abolishing the official in Jannah and expressed Jammu and Kashmir dispute
United Nations Security public holiday marking hope that the people of in accordance with the asp
Council resolutions. =~       Kashmir M