Category: 1. Pakistan

A parliamentary audit has revealed that the Prime Minister Laptop Scheme Phase 2 suffered significant losses after 227 government-issued laptops remained unaccounted for. The Public Accounts Committee was told that 1,011 laptops were reported missing or stolen, of which 784 have been recovered and 227 remain missing. The Public Accounts Committee has demanded recovery within 30 days or financial accountability from those responsible.

Missing Laptops

Officials from the Higher Education Commission confirmed that records show 784 laptops recovered, but 227 devices are still untraced. The audit values the missing items at more than Rs 11.9 million. Universities have not been able to submit records of 757 laptops, and this creates loopholes in the tracing and recovery efforts. The committee emphasized poor supervision and poor record-keeping at various institutions.

HEC Response

The HEC said it revised earlier figures after reconciliation and that the number of previously flagged missing units was reduced through audits. The HEC acknowledged remaining discrepancies at several universities and pledged to tighten inventory controls and to improve verification processes. The agency committed to submit a detailed recovery plan and to share progress reports with the committee.

PAC Directive

The Public Accounts Committee directed authorities to recover all missing laptops within 30 days. The committee warned that if recovery does not succeed, the financial loss will be recovered from officials deemed responsible. The panel recommended disciplinary action in the case where negligence is discovered, and stronger checks should be carried out after future distributions.

The Prime Minister Laptop Scheme is currently in a position that needs urgent remediation in order to win the trust of the masses and, at the same time, to safeguard Government money. The HEC and member universities should submit verifiable lists and/or comply with the PAC directive in a timely manner. The committee will oversee progress and will impose accountability measures when necessary.

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) took up petitions on Tuesday challenging the distribution of private Hajj quotas. A group of tour operators withdrew from the case, claiming their names had been included without approval.

Justice Muhammad Azam Khan issued notices to the Ministry of Religious Affairs and other respondents after initial arguments contending that the allocation of quotas through Hajj Organizers Association of Pakistan (HOAP) was unlawful. The judge later issued a written order.

Some 12 operators filed separate applications to withdraw from the case, telling the court their names had been added without their consent or knowledge.

Read: Only 3,500 seats remain in Hajj quota

Represented by Advocate Chaudhry Usama Tariq, they asked the court to strike their names from the list of petitioners. The court accepted their requests.

Earlier, petitioners’ lawyers argued that the federal government was violating the Hajj and Umrah Regulations Act 2024. They sought restoration of private Hajj quota to 50 percent, priority for pilgrims who missed out in 2025 for the 2026 pilgrimage, and exclusion of HOAP from administrative matters.

Advocates Sheikh Khizer Rasheed and Shaheena Shahab appeared on behalf of the petitioners. They argued that the government’s quota distribution mechanism lacked legality and transparency.

The court has directed all respondents to submit written replies before the next hearing.

The Punjab government is preparing to roll out the second phase of its free laptop distribution scheme, aimed at enhancing students’ access to digital learning resources across the province.

According to the Higher Education Department, merit-based distribution will commence next month under a finalized schedule.

The initiative will be formally inaugurated by the Punjab Chief Minister during a ceremony expected in the first or second week of September.

During the first phase, around 14,000 laptops were distributed among students in Lahore.

The upcoming phase is designed to cover a larger pool of eligible students throughout Punjab, furthering the government’s goal of strengthening higher education and advancing digital inclusion.

Benefits for students:

Encourages digital literacy and e-learning among students.

Provides access to modern educational tools for research and assignments.

Reduces the digital divide, especially for students from underprivileged backgrounds

Supports merit-based academic achievement.

The Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) has officially declared the class 12th (2nd Year) results 2025 on Tuesday, August 26, 2025.

Result Announcement Details

• Result Date: Tuesday, August 26, 2025
• Class: 12th (2nd Year / Intermediate Part-II)
• Board: FBISE, Islamabad

How to Check Federal Board FBISE Class 12th Results 2025

Students can check their FBISE 12th class results using any of the following official methods:

1. Online via Official Website

• Visit www.fbise.edu.pk
• Click on “Class 12th Result 2025”
• Enter your roll number or name
• Click “Search Result” to view your marksheet

2. Via SMS

• Type your roll number and send it to 5050
• You will receive your result on your phone via SMS

3. FBISE Mobile App

• Download the official FBISE Mobile App from Google Play Store
• Open the app and go to the “Results” tab
• Enter your roll number to view your complete result

FBISE 12th Class Results 2025 Gazette

The complete Class 12th Gazette PDF is available on the FBISE website. It includes school-wise and group-wise statistics along with the names of top position holders.

Special Central Judge Shahrukh Arjumand on Tuesday directed the Adiala Jail superintendent to allow the family members and lawyers in the Toshakhana Case-II to attend the hearing against the PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi.

Issuing the written order from the previous hearing held at Adiala Jail, Judge Shahrukh Arjumand stated that the jail superintendent should permit those lawyers to attend the hearing who have submitted their power of attorney.

The order also stated that any family members present outside the jail should be allowed to attend the hearing as well.

Barrister Salman Safdar had moved an application against restrictions on the presence of lawyers and family members.

After issuing the instructions to the superintendent, the court disposed of the application.

The Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) on Tuesday announced the results of Intermediate Part I and II examinations.

In the pre-medical group, Aleena Tariq of APS Rawalpindi secured first position with 1,071 marks, followed by Warda Sarfraz of The Scholar Science College with 1,070 marks.

The third position was shared by Urooj Malik of APS Gujranwala and Manahil Murtaza of Rasool Degree College.

In the pre-engineering group, Muzzammil Sajid of The Scholar Science College clinched the top position with 1,063 marks.

Muhammad Sami of Kips College secured second with 1,059 marks, while Ayesha Naeem stood third with 1,054 marks.

According to the board, 97,928 candidates appeared in Part I, of whom 60,794 passed. In Part II, 96,521 candidates sat the exams, with 79,881 declared successful.

The overall pass percentage was 83.19.

The success rate among boys was 75.85 percent, compared with 88.91 percent among girls. Group-wise, the pass rate was 94.04 percent in pre-medical and 88.89 percent in pre-engineering.

Addressing the ceremony, Federal Ministry of Education Secretary Nadeem Mahbub termed FBISE reforms commendable and “a model for other boards,” while acknowledging weaknesses in the examination system that still need to be addressed.

Jhelum police said early on Tuesday that they have detained cleric Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza for 30 days under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) ordinance.

Section 3 of the MPO ordinance gives authorities the power to arrest and detain suspected persons to prevent “any person from acting in any manner prejudicial to public safety” or to maintain public order.

Jhelum District Police Officer (DPO) Ahmed Mohiyuddin confirmed Mirza’s arrest under MPO to Dawn.com in the early hours of Tuesday.

The Express Tribune, citing sources, said the arrest followed an application filed by “religious parties”. Delegations of various scholars had met the district administration yesterday, urging action against the cleric, the report added.

Mirza, a resident of Machine Mohallah of Jhelum city, frequently uploads his lectures and speeches on his social media pages and has amassed 3.1 million followers on his YouTube channel.

Mirza was also among 17 clerics whose speeches were banned by the Jhelum deputy commissioner during Muharram last year to prevent any potential sectarian violence.

The popular cleric survived an assassination attempt at a religious academy in March 2021. The suspect was taken into custody, and a case of attempted murder was registered against him.

The cleric had also been booked and arrested by the Jhelum police in May 2020 for derogatory remarks against some religious figures. However, he was later released on bail.