Punjab | Pakistan

At least 23 people have lost their lives, while dozens of others have been injured in rain-related incidents across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the ongoing monsoon spell continues to cause widespread destruction.

ISLAMABAD: At least 15 cases of threats against journalists have been reported from Punjab, out of a total of 22 such incidents reported between April and June 2026. According to a review released by the Freedom Network on Tuesday as part of its quarterly assessment of threats to media and journalists in Pakistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa saw the number of documented cases in the province fall from five in the first to three in the second quarter of the year. Sindh and Balochistan recorded one case each in both quarters, while Islamabad Capital Territory and Gilgit-Baltistan documented one case each during the second quarter. No verified incidents were reported from Azad Jammu and Kashmir this year. Freedom Network review finds growing role of state institutions in intimidation of media practitioners; those reporting on corruption, governance issues most susceptible to threats The documented cases covered a wide range of violations against journalists, including actual legal action (six), threat of legal action (fo...

LAHORE: The water level in the Chenab River is likely to surge significantly over the next couple of days following ongoing rains in catchment areas of Indian-occupied Kashmir and fresh spells of heavy rain in parts of Punjab. “At the moment, the Chenab River is flowing in medium flood. Its flow may surge and enter the high-flood category following forecasts of heavy rain over the next three to four days in both held Kashmir and Punjab,” a senior official of the Punjab Irrigation Department told Dawn on Monday. “The situation may turn critical if there are heavy rains, as predicted, in the catchment areas of held Kashmir and Punjab,” he added. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Meteorological Department’s Flood Forecasting Division (FFD) issued a forecast of high flood levels in major rivers, including the Chenab, and nullahs due to heavy rains expected until July 24. According to the FFD’s Monday flood bulletin, the flows of all major rivers were likely to increase significantly by July 24 due to a prevailing westerly ...

Govt mulls imports as Punjab asks for 1m tonnes, Sindh seeks 220,000

A fresh monsoon weather system has entered Pakistan, with the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) forecasting light to heavy rainfall in Lahore and most districts of Punjab as authorities intensify preparedness measures ahead of the wet spell.

Warns of rising river levels from July 20-24, with flash floods and urban flooding expected across cities in Punjab

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday launched the Chief Minister Pink Salt Value Addition Financing Scheme, unveiling an ambitious initiative to transform Punjab’s vast pink salt reserves into a value-added export industry expected to generate thousands of jobs and significantly increase.

Armed men gunned down five workers hailing from Punjab in the Mashkail town of Balochistan’s Washuk district on Sunday, Deputy Commissioner Abdul Majeed Sarparah said. The incident occurred amid ongoing Operation Shaban and other counterterrorism operations in the province, in which the security forces have eliminated 109 terrorists since July 5. “The incident took place in Mashkail town close to the Pakistan-Iran border area, when armed men riding motorcycles opened fire on shops where the labourers from Punjab were working,” DC Sarparah told the media. Police officials said the five individuals suffered multiple bullet injuries and succumbed to their wounds on the spot. They added that after firing, the assailants escaped from the site. The officials said police and other security personnel rushed to the site soon after receiving information about the incident and shifted the bodies to the government health facility in Mashkail. After completing legal formalities, arrangements will be made to dispatch the w...

LAHORE - Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari on Saturday said that development, prosperity, and beautification are progressing simultaneously across Punjab under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, with the pace of development projects now significantly faster than in previous years.

LAHORE: Human rights defenders and activists gathered at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Thursday to discuss the Punjab Control of Habitual Offenders and Anti-Social Behaviour Bill, 2026, raising concerns that, if implemented, the proposed law would turn the whole Punjab into an open jail. “The objective of the Bill is to stop any statements against the security forces, followed by a hierarchy of sensitivity. Azma Bokhari and Marriyum Aurangzeb had complaints written to the NCCIA, they went to high court, directions were issued to the NCCIA but they were not satisfied. The objectives they wanted to achieve against those who had made their memes or defamed them were not achieved,” says lawyer Asad Jamal. Those people, he said, were not punished by the NCCIA because it had its own limitations and objectives. “Now they want to establish a parallel institution in Punjab and they are moving towards it,” Jamal declared. Secondly, he added, the Crime Control Department (CCD) had brought a bad name to the ...

LAHORE - Punjab has finalised a comprehensive province-wide strategy to tackle the twin threats of an intense heatwave and possible monsoon flooding as the Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed all departments and district administrations to shift their focus from disaster response to disaster prevention.

ISLAMABAD: Amid hot and humid weather, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) has declared force majeure — a legal term that absolves contractual liability — for its inability to supply regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) for three weeks due to renewed tensions around the Strait of Hormuz. This may significantly hamper the power supply from over 5,000MW of RLNG-based plants in Punjab and curtail the transmission of power from Sindh to upcountry load centres, resulting in higher loadshedding in the days ahead. Informed officials said while rationing from already imported cargoes could help mitigate shortages, the government would have to increase dependence on the expensive spot market. In separate letters to four RLNG-based power plants in Punjab, the Lahore-based SNGPL said it had been updated by Pakistan State Oil (PSO) that ‘the event of force majeure notified due to ongoing war in the Gulf region remains in effect and continues to prevent the performance of its supplier’s obligations under their LNG S...

ISLAMABAD: Russia has lifted restrictions on the import of potatoes from Punjab, allowing 101 exporters to resume shipments from July 7 after reviewing Pakistan’s phytosanitary control system, Pakistan’s trade officer in Moscow said on Tuesday. The decision to lift the ban was formally communicated to Pakistan’s Ministry of National Food Security and Research. However, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance has barred two Pakistani exporters from exporting potatoes to Russia, citing their failure to comply with the required phytosanitary standards. According to the trade officer’s letter, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance had informed Pakistani authorities that potato imports from Punjab would be permitted, subject to guarantees provided by Pakistan’s Department of Plant Protection. The Russian authority said the decision followed a review of the list of Pakistani potato exporters and their planned export volumes from Punjab. However, ...

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has approved the establishment of the Asset Management Authority of Punjab (AMAP) to centralize the management of the province's land and public assets, aiming to improve governance, transparency and revenue generation.

LAHORE: In order to compile comprehensive information on citiz­ens’ health and lifestyles, the Pun­jab government has created health and demographic profiles of nearly 94 million citizens across the provi­n­­ce under its first digital health census. In a meeting on Saturday, Punjab Chief Minister Mar­yam Nawaz was informed that the digital health census was near completion and that nearly 94.3 million health and demographic profiles had been registered across Punjab. “More than 85 per cent of the population in 18 districts has been covered through health and demographic profiling. Five districts have achieved 100 per cent coverage, while another five districts have completed over 95 per cent profiling,” the meeting was informed. The meeting was informed that every household in Punjab had been assigned a “unique identification nu­­mber” through digital mapping, while 14,300 community health ins­pectors had conducted door-to-door visits to collect citizens’ medical, demographic and socio-economic data. The CM r...

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was briefed on Saturday that Punjab had become the first province in Pakistan to undertake comprehensive digital health and demographic mapping of its population, with the country’s largest-ever digital health census nearing completion.

Hassan Murtaza criticises Punjab govt's handling of Kahna tragedy

LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) will establish a dedicated special cell in Punjab to ensure the prompt registration, investigation, and prosecution of cybercrime cases involving women and children, according to an official statement. NCCIA Punjab Director Muhammad Ali Wasim said in the statement on Wednesday that the initiative was aimed at providing the victim women and children with expedited legal assistance, protection and institutional support while ensuring that complaints were investigated without delay. “Cases involving online harassment, cyberstalking, blackmail, digital exploitation, identity theft, misuse or circulation of private photographs and videos, as well as other technology-enabled offences against women and minors will be processed through the newly established specialised unit,” he said. The official added that all such cases would remain under the direct supervision of the relevant deputy director to ensure close monitoring, swift investigations, and effecti...

Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has announced that the provincial government plans to establish wastewater treatment plants in every city across Punjab as part of a comprehensive strategy to modernise water and sanitation infrastructure.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said the Punjab government was committed to the welfare and empowerment of deafblind persons.