Azad Kashmir | Pakistan

PML-N President and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Friday asked his brother, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to give funds to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) in accordance with the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award. Nawaz’s suggestion on including AJK and GB’s share in the NFC is significant, as smaller provinces have previously rejected this federal plea several times. The proposal was formally initiated when NFC talks started under then-prime minister Imran Khan, while current Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had also suggested the same in the past to reduce the financial burden on the Centre. “Funds should be given to Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan under the NFC award. I will speak to PM Shehbaz Sharif in this regard,“ the PML-N supremo said while talking to party leaders in Lahore. “A certain amount every year must be given to both provinces — Azad Kashmir and GB. This is very important,” he said, adding that these two provinces must have the capacity to spend this money. H...

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday expressed deep concern and took serious notice of the situation in Azad Kashmir.

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Thursday issued a warning for heavy rain across Azad Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and advised citizens to stay alert. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies. However, heavy downpours also trigger deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. In a post on X, the PMD said at 3:30pm that a “rain-bearing weather system” was forming in the Poonch, Bagh, Haveli and Sudhnoti areas of Kashmir. According to the post, the system was likely to cause “heavy rain with strong winds and thunderstorms” during the next 2-5 hours in the above-mentioned areas as well as Azad Kashmir’s Muzaffarabad, Kotli, Rawalakot, Bhimber, Mirpur and Neelum Valley. Other areas that could come under the rain spell were KP’s Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur and Kohistan, along with Murree, Galyat, and surrounding areas. The ...

Five police officers were martyred on Wednesday when their van plunged into a ravine on Atoli Peer Road in Azad Kashmir’s Bagh area.

Indian forces launched unprovoked shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Kashmir’s Hajira and Abbaspur sectors on Thursday night, injuring civilians and damaging several homes, according to security sources.