The huddle included PML-N President Nawaz Sharif, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and AJK Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Tariq Farooq, according to a post on the party’s X account.

During the meeting, Nawaz shared a “reform plan for the first 100 days” of Gillani’s tenure, the post said, adding that it was aimed at strengthening health, education, cleanliness, infrastructure and other sectors.

He instructed Gillani to set AJK on the course of development, similar to Punjab, it said.

Gillani and Farooq expressed gratitude to the party’s senior leadership for “their confidence” in him, while the latter congratulated Gillani and Farooq.

A day earlier, the AJK PM had assured the business community and students that his government would restore internet services at educational institutions and remove restrictions on road links with Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa within the next few days.

PM Gillani had also expressed concern over the situation in Rawalakot, saying his government would make every effort to bring it under control.

AJK has been gripped by protests, including in Rawalakot, staged by the now-proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee that had announced a boycott of the recently held elections in the region over its demand for abolishing 12 seats reserved in the assembly for families displaced from occupied Kashmir.

The protests have been marred by violence while AJK continues to face internet disruptions.

Against this backdrop, the elections in the region, originally scheduled for July 27, were divided into phases over security concerns amid unrest in the region. The first phase was held on July 27, the second on Aug 2 and the third on Aug 10.

Meanwhile, the third phase was originally meant to cover all of Poonch Division, which comprises 11 constituencies, including three in Bagh, one in Haveli, five in Poonch district and two in Sudhnoti district.

However, the AJK Election Commission announced that polling would only go ahead as scheduled in Bagh and Haveli because of concerns over the law and order situation.

The veteran seamer took 5-57 in 22 overs as England were dismissed for 208 in their second innings on the fourth morning as they looked to go an unassailable 2-0 up in this three-match series.

Pakistan will have to set a record if they are to achieve an improbable win. The highest fourth-innings total to win a Test at Lord’s is the West Indies’ 344-1 in 1984 that featured an unbeaten double century from Gordon Greenidge.

The omens are not promising. Pakistan were dismissed for 171 and 135 in an innings and 103-run thrashing by England during last week’s first Test at Headingley.

They then slumped to 110 all out in their first innings at Lord’s, although injured opener Imam-ul-Haq was unable to bat.

Cricketers who take at least five wickets in an innings or 10 in a match or score a century in a Test at Lord’s have their achievements recorded on one of the honours boards in the home and away dressing rooms at the ‘Home of Cricket’.

Abbas, 36, had come close before with a trio of four-wicket hauls, including a return of 4-73 during England’s first-innings 290 in this match.

But having ended a third day cut short by rain and bad light with 3-48, he wasted little time in reaching the landmark after England resumed on 177-7 under sunny skies.

Dan Lawrence was exactly 50 not out to follow his comeback 51 in Leeds.

He had added just four runs to his overnight score when he was bowled by a superb seaming delivery from Abbas.

England’s 186-8 became 187-9 when a typically skilful 79mph (127kmh) ball darted back into Robinson, with wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan — stood up to the stumps — holding a sharp catch off the outside edge, before an elated Abbas was mobbed by his teammates.

England No. 11 Josh Tongue, following his Test-best 30 not out in the first innings, struck two successive boundaries off Mohammad Ali.

But the innings ended in unexpected fashion when Pakistan captain Babar Azam, belying the tourists’ reputation as a poor fielding side, ran out the sluggish Tongue by a distance with a direct hit from the covers.

According to a warrant of commitment of sentence issued by Additional District and Sessions Judge/Special Court (Anti-Rape) Judge Zafar Yab Chadhar, convict Muhammad Farooq was tried in a case registered under Section 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code at Kahna police station.

Kahna police had registered a case against accused Muhammad Farooq for subjecting his wife to sustained sexual abuse that left her with severe internal injuries requiring an emergency surgery.

The complainant was the father of the victim.

The case was initially registered under Section 377 (unnatural offences) and 376 (rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Following further investigation, the charge was revised with Section 377 deleted.

The court tried the convict under Section 376 and sentenced him to simple imprisonment for 10 years along with a fine of Rs50,000, with a further six-month imprisonment in default of payment.

The court also awarded the victim a compensation of Rs300,000 under Section 544-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

The warrant, issued on Aug 28, directed the superintendent of Central Jail, Kot Lakhpat, to take the convict into custody and carry out the sentence in accordance with law.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2026

Today, that optimism is facing a harsh reality check.

A series of crises at India’s two main carriers, Air India and IndiGo, has exposed safety and regulatory shortcomings in the world’s third-largest domestic aviation market.

The turmoil has been compounded by geopolitical shocks that have squeezed profits and forced airlines to reassess expansion plans. The setbacks have highlighted the lack of competition, with Air India and IndiGo together accounting for nine out of 10 domestic airline seats.

“The last two years, 2025 and 2026, have been the darkest years for India in terms of its global reputation and credibility,” said Mark Martin of Martin Consulting.

The latest blow came earlier this month when an Air India flight from Thailand’s Phuket to New Delhi plunged 300 feet midair, injuring 24 passengers.

The incident sparked scrutiny after reports that the captain tested positive for marijuana upon landing, prompting Air India to order a one-time drug screening of all pilots.

Initial findings from an investigation are expected in the coming weeks.

For many observers, the episode is part of a broader pattern that has kept Air India under the spotlight since last year’s crash of a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner that killed 241 people.

An unrelated audit of Air India identified around 100 safety lapses, including seven violations requiring “urgent corrective action” and “recurrent training gaps” for Boeing 787 and 777 pilots, according to a parliamentary panel report.

Mounting losses

The safety culture at Air India is “lax”, said Shakti Lumba, a former airline operations chief.

“At present, everyone is paying lip service to safety. By paying lip service, you do not create a safety culture,” he told AFP.

Former Air India executive director Jitender Bhargava said the reported drug case raised questions about management oversight, arguing the pilot community would know if a colleague was taking drugs.

Air India and IndiGo did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.

The safety concerns come as airlines grapple with mounting financial pressures.

Indian carriers have faced the closure of Pakistani airspace since tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad escalated last year, forcing longer and costlier routes.

Rising jet fuel prices linked to the Middle East war have added to the strain.

Ratings agency ICRA estimated Indian airlines will lose nearly $4 billion this fiscal year.

Air India’s losses more than doubled to $2.3bn in the last fiscal year, while IndiGo has reported losses for two consecutive quarters.

The strain is also affecting expansion plans.

IndiGo last month shut down its wide-body operations, while Air India is reportedly considering delaying deliveries of as many as 500 aircraft.

The turbulence marks a reversal for a sector often celebrated as one of India’s biggest success stories.

Indian airlines carried about 167 million passengers last year, more than double the figure a decade earlier. More than 70 airports have been added over the past decade, while carriers have ordered some 1,500 aircraft.

“The problem has not been a lack of growth,” said Harsh Vardhan, chairman of Starair Consulting.

“It is that every other part of the ecosystem has not been able to keep up with this growth and manage it well.”

Relaxing rules

Those concerns came to the fore last year when IndiGo cancelled large numbers of flights after failing to prepare for new pilot fatigue regulations.

Industry experts said the temporary suspension of parts of the new rest rules reflected a wider regulatory failure.

“The DGCA acts more like a facilitator than a regulator,” said Lumba, the former operations chief, referring to the aviation regulatory body.

The dominance of Air India and IndiGo has further complicated the regulator’s task.

Seven major airlines have either collapsed or been sold in the past two decades, making it harder to penalise the two big remaining players.

“A duopoly works only if operators are mature, responsible and grown adults,” Martin said, adding that in India it more closely resembles a “bunch of territorial gangs”.

Last year, the government said the country needed “five big airlines”, and regulators have since approved plans for two new carriers.

The government is also examining a proposal to relax rules preventing airport operators from owning airlines, potentially opening the door for conglomerates such as the Adani Group.

But attracting investors alone will not solve the sector’s problems, Vardhan said.

“The cost structure has always been very hostile. It is one of the primary reasons new operators have not been able to make a breakthrough.”

The contradiction, he argued, lies at the heart of India’s aviation ambitions.

“On one hand, they call it a sunshine sector. On the other, everyone is trying to ride the industry’s success at the cost of profitability.”