Muzaffargarh | Pakistan

It happened on a hot July morning. With a group of researchers, I set out for a routine wildlife survey half an hour’s drive from Muzaffargarh, in the sprawling wetlands of South Punjab. The vital but fragile lowland ecosystem is made up of 18 interlinked saline and freshwater lakes, river floodplains, oxbow lakes, and seasonal marshes. Here, 45km west of Multan, the Indus River gets to catch its breath after cascading steep glaciers and alpine lakes. As its flow turns leisurely in the alluvial plains, the river turns into an indispensable sanctuary for foreign and local feathered friends like wintering waterfowls, waders, raptors, and divers. But on that hot July morning, this ecological treasure, the Rangla Wetland Complex, was chosen as the laboratory for a marvelous collusion of science and nature: the pink birds had returned after nearly half a century. And this time, they had brought their babies. It was a family affair. A flock of greater flamingos hang out by the lakes of Muzaffargarh. The 43-member f...

MUZAFFARGARH - Muzaffargarh district secured second position in the Punjab Key Performance Indicators (KPI) rankings, the latest official statistics revealed on Thursday.

MUZAFFARGARH - Regional Police Officer (RPO) Dera Ghazi Khan Muhammad Azhar Akram on Wednesday paid a special visit to Muzaffargarh district, where he conducted emergency inspections of City and Sadr Police Stations, chaired a crime review meeting with circle officers, met with Muharram stakeholders, and inaugurated several newly completed police.

Muzaffargarh - In line with the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif to promote educational opportunities and welfare for minority communities, a ceremony for the distribution of educational scholarship cheques was held under the auspices of the Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Department.

MUZAFFARGARH - The continuous efforts of MNA Nawabzada Iftikhar Ahmad Khan since 2018 have finally started bearing fruits as the Punjab provincial cabinet has granted final approval for the estimated cost of the first phase of the Muzaffargarh to Khan Garh dual carriageway project, part of the Muzaffargarh to Tranda Muhammad Panah road,.

The Islamabad High Court has directed fresh elections in Muzaffargarh’s provincial constituency PP-269, setting aside a previous order for a vote recount.

• Preparations in place for more ‘controlled breaches’ as waters from Ravi-Chenab set to converge • PDMA chief fears renewed flooding in central Punjab as Indian dams near max capacity; says ‘Ravi flowing backwards’ instead of merging with Chenab • 3.7m affected across province, death toll jumps to 46; another massive surge expected at Multan tomorrow LAHORE: As the confluence of the swollen Ravi and Chenab rivers near Khanewal threatens the districts of Multan and Muzaffargarh, provincial authorities on Wednesday braced for an unprecedented disaster in light of a “dual threat”, which persisted despite several controlled breaches over the past week. The water level at Muhammadwala and Sher Shah was recorded at 412 feet, only five feet below critical level. The authorities termed the next 12 hours critical, as the pressure at the breaching points continued to increase after the convergence of the Ravi and Chenab rivers near Khanewal. In order to save urban centres along the eastern rivers, the Punjab governmen...

A vibrant Educational Family Festival was held at Fayyaz Park, Muzaffargarh, organized by the Population & Health Department in collaboration with the District Administration.

Police on Thursday said they had arrested suspects for allegedly raping a deaf-mute and mentally disabled girl in Punjab’s Muzaffargarh district. Muzaffargarh police spokesperson Wasim Khan Gopang told Dawn.com that the incident occurred in the Rohilanwali area on Aug 4. “Two suspects had been arrested within 24 hours of the incident.” He said the 17-year-old girl was in the fields when one of the suspects allegedly caught her and raped her. “The suspect fled when locals reached the spot after hearing the girl’s voice,” he added. In a first information report (FIR) dated Aug 6, seen by Dawn.com, the victim’s brother said that his sister was born deaf-mute and mentally disabled. He said, “She went out of the house to relieve herself in the fields on Aug 4 around 05:30pm.” The complainant detailed that the suspect, who was standing near the field, “forcibly grabbed the victim and raped her under a tree.” The FIR named two passersby who heard the victim’s voice and caught the suspect raping her. “Upon seeing the...

A devastating road accident near Langer Sarai in Muzaffargarh claimed six lives and left 18 others injured when a passenger bus collided head-on with a trailer.

A suspect was arrested in yet another case of child pornography in Punjab’s Muzaffargarh, Police said on Friday. Earlier in the month, the government claimed to have dismantled an international child exploitation network operating out of a so-called gaming club in Muzaffargarh, where children aged six to 10 were lured, abused and filmed for the sake of selling their videos on the dark web. “Several children were sexually abused and filmed in Sardarabad village,” a police statement said today. The matter came to light when one of the victims contacted the police. According to the statement, the suspect had been blackmailing the children using compromised videos. A first information report (FIR) of the incident was lodged at Saddar police station in Muzaffargarh district under section 292 (sale, distribution, and public exhibition of obscene material) and section 355 (assault or criminal force with intent to dishonour a person) of the Pakistan Penal Code. According to the FIR, a boy was sexually abused and film...

National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has exposed a child sexual exploitation gang operating in Punjab’s Muzaffargarh district, leading to the arrest of two suspects and the recovery of ten children. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry made the revelation during a press conference in Islamabad, saying the NICCIA has uncovered a “huge network” during an operation conducted on May 23. He said an international gang masterminded by a German citizen was operating a child sexual exploitation group in Muzaffargarh where children were groomed. “They set up a small club where children aged 6-10 years were taught games. They provided state-of-the-art facilities and modern cameras,” he said. He added that children from disadvantaged families were “brought there, given money, and then blackmailed” to exploit them, and “their videos were uploaded on the dark web daily and sold for thousands of dollars.” “Some videos were live-streamed and seen around the world from Muzaffargarh,” the state minister ...

A madressah teacher who allegedly molested a student in Muzaffargarh’s Bet Mir Hazar Khan area has been arrested, police said on Monday. According to Muzaffargarh District Police Officer Dr Rizwan Ahmed Khan, the teacher in Jatoi tehsil allegedly raped the student and locked him in the madressah for five days to prevent him from reporting the assault. “The teacher had invited his young student to his room under the pretext of a massage and raped him,” DPO Khan alleged. “A case was registered against the teacher and he was taken into custody.” The Bet Mir Hazar Khan Station House Officer (SHO) said, “Such a brutal person will be punished severely according to the law and such people do not deserve any concession.” In a separate incident, police have said that they will arrest a tailor’s son who allegedly raped an 11-year-old girl and blackmailed her with video footage of the assault six months ago. The incident took place in the Riazabad area of Kot Sultan, where a girl had gone to learn sewing at a tailor’s h...

MUZAFFARGARH - Rescue 1122 Muzaffargarh, under the directives of the district administration, successfully conducted a large-scale mock war exercise at the Muzaffargarh Thermal Power Station to evaluate emergency preparedness and institutional response capabilities in wartime scenarios.

MUZAFFARGARH - Rescue 1122 Muzaffargarh, under the supervision of District Emergency Officer Engineer Ubaidullah Khan, organised a seminar to mark International Firefighters Day.

A madrassah teacher in Muzaffargarh district of Punjab was arrested for allegedly raping an 11-year-old student at a seminary, it emerged on Sunday. Last year, Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Sahil’s Six Months Cruel Numbers data revealed that a total of 1,630 cases of child abuse were reported from across the country. In the first six months of 2024, 862 cases of child sexual abuse, 668 cases of abduction, 82 cases of missing children and 18 cases of child marriages were reported. 48 cases of pornography after sexual abuse were also recorded. “A case has been registered against a madrassa teacher at the Mirhazar police station,” a police spokesperson said. The spokesperson continued that the police took immediate action and arrested the suspect. The first information report (FIR) was registered under Section 376(iii) (rape of a minor) of the Pakistan Penal Code. The teacher took the student to his residential room in the madrassa and raped the student twice, according to the FIR. “A case was registered o...