Special seat reserved for Hindus, Sikhs in Afghan Parliament

Kabul, Sep 4: President Hamid Karzai today issued a historic legislative decree reserving a special seat for Sikh and Hindu Afghan nationals in the lower house of the country's Parliament.

Karzai, through the legislative decree, approved the Cabinet amendments of August 26, 2013, to the Election Law, designating a particular seat in the Wolesi Jirga for Sikh and Hindu nationals, according to a statement from the office of the President.

In the Presidential decree, Karzai assigned the Ministers of Justice and Parliamentary Affairs to submit the decree within 30 days after the National Assembly of Afghanistan resumes its first session.

The decree further says that the amendments to the Election Law came into force upon signature by the President and shall be published along with the relevant Cabinet resolution in the official gazette.

The National Assembly of Afghanistan is a bicameral body, comprising two chambers, Wolesi Jirga or the lower house with 249 seats and Meshrano Jirga or the Upper House with 102 seats.

The reserved seat has been designated to the lower house which will now have 250 members.

Karzai's decision has come after lawmakers declined to reserve a special seat for Hindus and Sikhs in the law.

The Afghan President has the power to issue legislative decrees when the Parliament is on vacation.

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Pak jail authorities say Imran Khan is alive and healthy after ‘murder’ rumours spark panic

News Network

November 27,2025

Authorities at Pakistan’s high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on Wednesday dismissed speculation about the condition of imprisoned former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, rejecting rumours that he had been moved out of the facility or was in danger. Officials said Khan was in “good health” and described the viral death claims as “baseless.”

“There is no truth to reports about his transfer from Adiala Jail,” the Rawalpindi prison administration said in a statement, according to Geo News. “He is fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.”

Amid swirling rumours on social media, Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), urged the federal government to issue an official clarification and demanded that authorities allow his family to meet him immediately, Dawn reported.

The frenzy began after Khan’s three sisters called for an impartial probe into what they described as a “brutal” police assault on them and other PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail last week. Soon after, several social media handles circulated unverified claims alleging that Khan had been “killed” inside the prison.

The rumours intensified when a handle named “Afghanistan Times” claimed that “credible sources” had confirmed Khan’s “murder” and that his body had been moved out of the jail — allegations that have not been verified by any credible agency.

Imran Khan, PTI’s patron-in-chief, has been lodged in the Rawalpindi prison since August 2023 in multiple cases. For over a month, an undeclared restriction has prevented family members and senior PTI leaders from meeting him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has reportedly been denied access despite making seven attempts.

In a letter to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, Khan’s sisters — Noreen Niazi, Aleema Khan, and Dr. Uzma Khan — said they were “peacefully protesting” outside the jail when police allegedly launched an unprovoked assault after streetlights were switched off.

“At 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown to the ground and dragged across the road,” Noreen Niazi said, alleging that other women present were also slapped and manhandled.

Adiala Jail officials reiterated that speculation over Imran Khan’s health was unfounded and insisted that his well-being was being ensured, Geo News reported.

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