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LAHORE: Former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif will visit Gilgit-Baltistan on Tuesday to meet party ticket holders ahead of the June 7 elections. The GB Election Commission had announced that general elections in the region would be held on June 7 after a four-month delay. On Monday, Punjab Senior Provincial Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said on X that the PML-N president will visit GB on Tuesday for a one-day visit. During the visit, he will meet party leaders and ticket-holders. “He will also discuss the upcoming elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and matters related to the development and welfare of the people of the region,” she said. Nawaz has not been active in politics since the February 2024 general elections. However, he is serving as head of the Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival. The former prime minister often presides over its meetings and oversees measures for the protection of the city’s heritage. The PML-N supremo also acts as a political mentor to his daughter and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Earlier in April, Nawaz had vowed that, if elected, the party would focus on development in GB. Nawaz asserted that GB “is as dear to me as the rest of Pakistan is, and as Azad Kashmir, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and KP are”. PTI alleges pre-poll rigging The PTI said in a statement on Monday that “systematic pre-poll rigging and state-backed repression” were being carried out ahead of the upcoming GB elections. “The party believes that the Islamabad-imposed Form-47 government in collaboration with state institutions, the local administration, and law enforcement agencies, is being used to influence the electoral process and suppress political opposition,” the PTI said. The party also expressed serious concern over the conduct of the GB Election Commission. “We find it frivolous that a notice was issued to the mother of former chief minister Khalid Khurshid for displaying election posters so that candidates could be forced into quitting PTI and joining government-backed parties,” it said. The PTI added that the ruling PML-N was openly violating the electoral code of conduct through federal-level campaigning and the use of administrative influence. “At the same time, PTI lawmakers are being prevented from entering the region. We maintain that the Election Commission’s failure to address these violations, while taking action against PTI candidates and their families, raises serious questions about its impartiality and independence,” it said.

European Union (EU) top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Monday said the bloc sought stability in the region, adding that it was in everyone’s interest for the ongoing war in the Middle East to end and for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open. Kallas, who serves as vice-president of the European Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to participate in the 8th round of the EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, which was held earlier today. In an interview on the Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Kallas said, “This is in everybody’s interest that this war is stopped and the Strait of Hormuz is opened. We are paying a very high price. There are a lot of things dependent on the Strait of Hormuz.” During the appearance on the show, she commended Pakistan for being a mediator between the United States and Iran, bringing all the parties together, adding that, “Eventually, the [warring] parties have to decide.” “Everybody is hoping that the first phase of this agreement is signed, so the talks on the difficult topics like nuclear can be started,” she said. Kallas added that the EU seeks stability in the region. “The problems of our neighbour today could be the problems for us tomorrow. We are all very interlinked.” She called the Strait of Hormuz a “chokepoint”, mentioning that the EU was also looking forward to diversifying its trade routes and supply chain. “You cannot remain dependent on a single route.” When asked if she sees any parallels between Russia’s war against Ukraine and Israeli actions in Gaza and Lebanon, she replied: “I see parallels in all these crises undermining international law. We have the UN Charter, which is very clear: you can’t attack another country; you have to respect another country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. No one should be above the law.” Talking about the renewal of Pakistan’s GSP+ status, Kallas said, “We discussed it with our counterparts today. The preferential access to our markets is also conditional.” “It is true that we have a report coming up in July, and then the question of renewing this preference,” she added. “However, the conventions have to be adopted, particularly on human rights issues, where we need to see improvements.” She elaborated that the renewal process goes through the EU Parliament. “The EU Parliament is always scrutinising, and we have been raising these issues on what more can be done to improve the situation,” she said. When asked whether the EU was satisfied with Pakistan’s legislation to meet the conditions, she said: “Our counterparts are mentioning what they are doing in various files, but this is something where we clearly need to see improvements.” “We are putting forward some very concrete questions. Hopefully, there is time for improvement in those areas, and then we can renew this scheme easily,” she concluded.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday assured businessmen and industrialists that measures were being taken to make the forthcoming federal budget conducive to industrial growth and production. The government is expected to approve a consolidated national development programme of over Rs3.5 trillion and a macroeconomic framework envisaging economic growth of 4.1pc and inflation of 8.5pc for FY2026–27. The premier made these remarks while meeting presidents of chambers of commerce and industries to seek their suggestions for the 2026-27 federal budget, scheduled to be announced on June 5. During the meeting, PM Shehbaz directed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to dispose of all pending cases of tax refunds by June 15. He further ordered moving the headquarters of Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL) to Karachi, in order to enhance exports and facilitate the business community and exporters. The establishment of an office of the Immigration and Passport Department in Gujrat was also ordered. Moreover, the premier urged Pakistani investors to promote e-vehicle production in the country through joint ventures. PM Shehbaz noted that consistent efforts and hard work had helped stabilise the economy. He said additional measures would be taken in the upcoming budget to promote industrial development, boost production and support the business community. The premier assured the delegation of the government’s commitment to creating a more favourable environment for investment and economic growth. The delegation, in turn, assured the PM that the entire business community and industrialists were standing by the government and supporting its economic policies. It presented recommendations regarding the upcoming federal budget and measures aimed at supporting the country’s overall economic growth. ‘New era’ in Pak-China economic partnership Earlier, PM Shehbaz said the extraordinary increase in business engagements between the private sectors of Pakistan and China heralded a new era in economic partnership between the two countries. He emphasised that enhanced industrial, agricultural and technological cooperation with China would boost Pakistan’s exports and create new employment opportunities. The premier was presiding over a review meeting to assess progress on the agreements and memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed at the Pakistan-China Business-to-Business (B2B) conference held during his recent visit to China, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a press release. In the meeting, he directed the relevant authorities to ensure that the MoUs signed in Hangzhou are swiftly transformed into formal agreements and joint ventures. PM Shehbaz also decided to personally chair monthly review meetings to monitor progress on the outcomes of the B2B conference. He further ordered that cooperation between the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC) be implemented effectively. The premier observed that agricultural research, modern technology and joint ventures between Pakistan and China could bring about a revolutionary transformation in the country’s agricultural sector. During the briefing, participants were informed that a total of 123 Pakistani companies and 436 Chinese companies attended the B2B conference on May 24, where 207 MoUs worth approximately $7.54 billion were signed. Those MoUs were signed in several key sectors, including battery energy storage systems, artificial intelligence (AI), mobile phones and handheld devices. Significant agreements were also reached in the areas of fertilisers, seeds, modern irrigation equipment, fisheries, and food processing. Additionally, MoUs were signed to promote joint investment in advanced industrial sectors, including biotechnology and vaccine manufacturing. The meeting was attended by Federal Ministers Rana Tanvir Hussain, Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Khan Cheema and Shaza Fatima Khawaja, along with other senior government officials. Last week, the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) released a set of four independent “shadow” policy studies proposing an alternative economic framework to accelerate growth, broaden the tax base, and reduce fiscal imbalances. The documents were prepared by the Economic Policy and Business Development Think Tank (EPBD) and released at the FPCCI office and focused on structural reforms to lift Pakistan’s economy onto a higher, more sustainable growth path. The documents — ‘Tax Policy and Administration Reforms’, ‘Shadow Federal Budget 2026-27’, ‘Shadow Economic Survey of Pakistan 2026’, and ‘Shadow Five-Year Development Plan 2026-31’ — collectively set out a reform agenda centred on private-sector-led growth, fiscal consolidation, and institutional restructuring.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday directed the Ministry of Interior and the Islamabad chief commissioner to provide pending documents for the delimitation of the capital’s local government within three days, warning that a 10-day deadline had already lapsed. The letter, seen by Dawn, was addressed to the secretary of the Ministry of Interior and the Islamabad chief commissioner. It was marked “IMMEDIATE” and issued under the signatures of Additional Director General (Local Government Elections) Chaudhry Nadeem Qasim, referring to a Commission meeting held on May 13, 2026, and stating that the required documents for delimitation and holding local government elections in the ICT were still awaited. The ECP has sought three sets of information: notification of the limits of town corporations, notification of the number of union councils in each town corporation, and authenticated and updated maps showing census charges, circles and blocks. The letter noted that a 10-day deadline earlier given by the commission for the provision of data had already lapsed. In its meeting today, the ECP directed that the notifications and updated maps be submitted within three days. The election commission also indicated that a National Assembly standing committee may be requested to consider draft legislation, and the matter of amendments to rules may be pursued with the Cabinet, as discussed in the previous meeting. The ECP added that “your personal attention will be highly appreciated” to expedite the process for delimitation and conduct of local government elections in Islamabad. Months after postponing local government (LG) polls in the federal capital for the fourth time, the ECP on May 13 had directed the Ministry of Interior and Islamabad administration to immediately issue notifications on town corporations’ limits and union councils for local government polls, warning it would fix the matter for a hearing if there was no progress.

GILGIT: Seven people went missing after a tourist jeep on its way to Fairy Meadows in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan fell into a ravine and was swept away in Tattu Nullah on Monday. According to the spokesperson for the GB police, the accident occurred at around 3pm on Tattu Raikot Road. According to initial reports, all six tourists in the vehicle, as well as its driver, are still missing. The spokesperson said that two tourists in the jeep were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and four from Punjab. The driver was identified as a resident of Diamer’s Dareel area. The spokesperson added that police and rescue teams were present at the scene and a rescue operation was underway to search for the missing persons. Fatal accidents are common on roads in the mountainous regions of the country due to traffic rule violations, treacherous terrain and poor infrastructure. Last month, a tragic road accident in Neelum Valley claimed the lives of four people, including two women, and left two others injured after a passenger jeep plunged hundreds of feet into a rocky streambed. In April, a jeep carrying five passengers from Barum Kagh Kosht to Booni skidded off a wet, slippery road and plunged into a deep ravine in KP’s Upper Chitral, killing three people and injuring two others. In March, a tourists’ van collided with a truck on the Hazara Motorway, killing one passenger and injuring 13.