The News tntemational, Karachi, Thursday, June 18, 2026

NATIONAL 3


Balochistan govt
employees announce

‘province-wide shutdown = | —reme—

Clash with police over budget demands

By Mohammad Zafar Baloch march towards the assembly  ers and workers, including

to protest against the pro- Abdul Qudoos Kakar, were *
QUETTA: The Balochistan vincial budget for fiscal year detained during the opera-
Employees’ Grand Alliance 2026-27, which included a7 tion. Protesters alleged that
on Wednesday announced an percent salary increase for peaceful demonstrators were
indefinite province-wide shut» government employees. The subjected to excessive force,
down of government offices, Grand Alliance has rejected while the government main-
educational institutions and the increase, demanding a tainedsilence on the incident.
other public departments 35 percent Disparity Reduce —_— Following the clashes,
starting June 18, folowing tion Alowance (DRA) anda the Grand Alliance
violent clashes between previously promised 25 per- announced that all govern-
Police and protesting gov. cent pay raise.                  ment offices, schools, col-

ISLAMABAD. A court in
Islamabad cancelled the
demands were accepted. . | non-bailable arrest warrants
*The goverment. used of former Khyber Pakh-
force instead of dialogue. | tunkhwa (KP) chief minis-
We will not retreat until | ter Ali Amin Gandapur after
our legitimate demands are | he surrendered in the audio
accepted,” a Grand Alliance | leak case on Wednesday.
spokesperson said, con-|° During the hearing con+
demning the police action | ducted by duty judge Javed
and demanding the release | Iqbal Supra, former KP CM
of arrested workers,             Gandapur and co-accused
The alliance maintained | Asad Farooq appeared in the
that the protest movement is] court. Gandapur’s lawyor

Gandapur’s arrest
warrants cancelled
in audio leak case

The  court  initially
reserved its decision on the
application and later cane
celled the arrest warrant
and adjourned the hearing
ofthe case,

Talking to the media,
Gandapur said he wanted
to consult with PTI founder
Imran Khan regarding the
budget, adding the delay in
the provincial budget was
due to the lack of a meet-
ing. “Denying a meeting
with Khan is a big injus-
tice," he added.

emment employees nearthe Police reportedly stopped leges and other institutions aimed at securing employees”
Balochistan Assembly,      + the protesters near Chaman across Balochistan would rights and restoring previ-

The announcement was Phatak, where several rallies remain closed indefinitely ously agreed salary benefits,
made by Grand Alliance from different parts of Quetta fromJune 18 Theleadership and vowed to intensify the
leaders, including Abdul had gathered before attempt- also announced daily pro- agitation in the coming days.
Qudoos Kakar and Younas ing to proceed toward the tests, rallies and public gath- _ Security in Quetta and
Kakar, who said the protest asserably, Authorities used erings in all districts,          . other parts of the province
Taovement would be intensi- tear gas to disperse the They further declared has been tightened folowing

@ "violent crackdown” on chaos in the area,                 sit-in would begin in Quetta cial government has yet to

peaceful demonstrators. ”     * According to eyewitness from June 19, warning issue an official statement
Tensions escalated when accounts and union repre- that the movement would regarding the incident or the

employees attempted to sentatives, more than l0lead- be expanded until their announced shutdown.


.                                        November 26 protest :                                                   Residents
Court questions need to summon | *72F§ne
ministers as witnesses    protests in AJK

By Khalid) Inbal      ' minister as a witness. The protest had already been} MUZAFFARABAD: A nearly
. * defence counsel replied that widely reported by newspapers | two-week standoff between | __
RAW ‘ALPINDE:   The’  "Spe-  the interior minster possessed and television channets before | protesters and police in Azad
cial Court in Rawalpindi on documents and informationto Aleema Khanum made the | Jammu and Kashmir has left
Wednesday adjourned the which the defence did not have statement that fons the basis | residents grappling with food
hearing of an application filed access. He argued that, as the of the allegations against her. [ shortages, while the death
by Aleema Khanum, seeking minister responsible for inter- The court observed that these | toll from clashes rose to 22,
to summon ministers a3 wit- nal security matters and the arguments had already been | according to an AFP tally on
nesses, in connection with owner of a television channel, placed on record. In response,   Wednesday.
the Sadiqabad police station he was in possession of rele the defence counsel contended | © Sardar ‘Waheed,  the top’
case related to the November vant material that could assist that if the protest call had been | civil official in Rawalakot
26 Pakistan Tehreck-e-Insaf the court The court remarkedif publicly broadcast before | which has been a focal point
(PTT) protest.” The hearing the same fue applied to both November 22, it was difficult [of the protest started by
‘was adjoumed until June 24 Federal Information Minister to understand how Aleema | Joint Awami Action Commit-
after the defence counsel com Atta Tarar and Federal Interior _Khanum’s subsequent remarks | tee (JAAC), said two more
cluded his arguments. Aleema Minister Mohsin Naqvi, then could amount to a crimi-| people had been killed dur-
Khanum had moved an appti- one of them could be called nal offence, He argued that| ing clashes in recent days.
cation      ing to summon 21 as 2 witness. However, the repeating information already] — That lifted the death toll
witnesses including Federal defence lawyer insisted that available in the public domain | to 22 since June 6, from 20
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi,  the defence sought tocrossex- could not be treated as al confirmed on Friday based
Pederal information Minister amine government ministers crime and described the allega- | on statements to AFP from
Atta Tarar and Punjab Infor- directly. He said the defence tions against his client as false | officials in three separate dis-
tration Minéster Uzna Bukhari, had spccific questions to put to and baseless.            tricts, including Rawalakot.
television anchors and bureau them and maintained that such After hearing the defence] The toll includes four law
chiefs of newspapers and tele. examination was necessary for        the court adjoumned | enforcement personnel -.

“arguinerts,
vision channels, as witnesses. the proper adjudication of the the matter until June 24 and| Protests, sit-ins and bus-|-

During the hearing, her law- case. He further claimed that directed the prosecution to/ ness strikes have paralysed

yer argued that under Section. the defence would establish present its arguments on the} daily life in many towns/.

540 of the Criminal Procedure that no       occurred on application at the next hearing. | across the region, according
Code (CrPC), the court has November 27 that could justify It is pertinent to mention | to officials and residents who,
the authodity to summon any the allegations levelled against that Aleema Khanum, through | also reported widespread
witness at any stage of the proe Alcema Khanum.        her counsel, has requested the | mobile intemet outages.

ceedings if their testimony fs The lawyer further argued court to summon Federal Inte-] In the regional capital

necessary fora just that the call for the Novere rior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, | Muzaffarabad, streets were].

considered

decision in the case. He further ber 24 protest was made in Federal Information Minister[quiet and residents com-
submitted that summoning the support of judicial independ. Atta Tarar and Punjab Infor. | plained of difficulty access-
proposed witnesses and allow. ence and the supremacy ofthe mation Minister Uzma Bukhari, | ing crucial supplies.

ing the defence to crossexam- Constitution, whereas Aleem’ along with 21 other indniduals,| = “I have been searching
ine them was a legal require. Khanum’s alleged rote in the including television anchors | for medicine everywhere,
ment to ensure a fair trial The case was limited to speaking and bureau chiefs of newspa- | but I cannot find it. Even big


court questioned the need to to the media. According tothe persand television channels, as | stores are closed," 64-year>
summon the federal interior defence, news of the planned witnesses in the case.           old Muzaffarabad resident
Muhammad Masqeen told
AFP on Tuesday,
Rabbani slams freezin     rovinces’        srrsupeny disaptons
D.                        open, supply disruptions|
were limiting stock,
share in divisible pool.      TPor eight dys, we hve
been going through very
By Asim Yasia                      ” means there will be no new NFC Award in viola- | difficult times, Markets are
tion of Article 160, Constitution 1973," he said in| closed, and there is very lit-
ISLAMABAD: Former chaimman ‘Senate Raza 2 statement on Wednesday, He said the presert
Rabbani has criticized the federal goverment’s. NFC Award was announced in 2010 and contin | said Sabor Hussain, 60.
Teported decision to freeze the provinces’ share ucstill date in violation of the Constitution Over] ~ Authorities said they had
in the divisible pool for the nest three years and
said the Narowal lobby in the federal cabinet in rupee will curtail the actual share of the prov-[ local government spokes-
connivance with the IMF has circumvented the _inces in violation of Article 160 (3A) of the Con- | man Shoaib Javed Mir said
NFC Award and the Constitution 1973,         s Sitution. The federal government is playing off | officials were working to
“The freezing of the share of the provinces Article 164 against Article 160, something which | prevent any shortages