Punjab | Pakistan

The Pakistan Army has launched large-scale aerial rescue operations in flood-hit areas of Punjab, where heavy monsoon rains continue to wreak havoc, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

Section 144 was imposed across Punjab along with a state of emergency in several districts on Thursday as heavy rains triggered flooding and claimed over 60 lives across the province in the past 24 hours, according to authorities. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday issued a warning of torrential rains with wind-thundershowers that would last throughout the country till today. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has forecasted that heavy rains will continue to lash parts of the country over the next 24 hours. Data from the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) showed that 61 people were killed and 268 injured in the last 24 hours, warning that more monsoon rains were expected in the coming days. An order from the Punjab Home Department said there was a significant increase in the accumulation of rainwater in low-lying areas, streets and open spaces, posing serious risks to the safety of children who often bathed in standing water. “Dams, rivers, canals, ponds,...

The Pakistan Army on Thursday rescued over 20 people trapped in flood-hit areas of Jhelum, Punjab, as part of ongoing relief and rescue operations following heavy monsoon rains across the province.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called an emergency meeting in response to the devastation caused by relentless monsoon rains across Punjab, particularly in Rawalpindi and surrounding cities, where at least 63 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents over the past 36 hours.

Heavy monsoon rainfall has wreaked havoc across Punjab and Balochistan, leaving at least 59 people dead in the past 24 hours and causing widespread flooding and destruction.

LAHORE/OKARA - At least 28 people were killed and 90 others injured in rain related accidents across the Punjab province during the last 24 hours, rescue officials said late Wednesday.

At least 28 people were killed and 90 others injured in rain and storms across Punjab in the past 24 hours, provincial rescue service spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said on Wednesday. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and replenishing water supplies and agriculture. They are crucial to the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security. However, they also trigger deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. In the last 24 hours, roof collapses killed 12 people in Lahore, eight in Faisalabad, three in Sheikhupura, two in Okara, and one each in Pakpattan, Nankana Sahib and Sahiwal, according to the spokesperson. Those seriously injured in rain-related roof and wall collapses across Punjab were immediately transported to the hospital, the spokesperson added. PDMA issues Jhelum River flood warning The PDMA has issued a flood warning for the Jhelum River, reporting that “exceptio...

Torrential monsoon rains have caused widespread disruption across Lahore and several cities in Punjab since early Monday, claiming at least 10 lives and injuring 92 people in weather-related incidents.

LAHORE: As many as nine people lost their lives and 92 others were injured in rain-related incidents in different areas of Punjab during the last 24 hours. According to Rescue1122, three minors died and 17 others were injured in separate incidents in Bahawalnagar, while two teenagers, including a girl, died and 12 injured in Okara in different rain-related incidents. Meanwhile, three persons died and eight others were injured in Lahore, three were injured in Pakpattan, and four in Sahiwal during the province-wide rains. According to the emergency service, in some other rain-related incidents, a man died and three others were injured in Bhakkar. It says two persons were injured in Faisalabad, while as many others in Muzaffargarh during the last 24 hours. It says four persons were injured in Toba Tek Singh, three in Kasur, two in Dera Ghazi Khan, and one each in Rajanpur, Sialkot and Mianwali in rain-related incidents. More rains forecast for the province Meanwhile, the weather in Lahore turned pleasant after m...

A Lahore sessions court on Tuesday discharged an elderly man named Muhammad Sajid, involved in recently using inappropriate language against the Punjab chief minister in a viral video, in a case dating back to 2024. A few days ago, a video of Sajid riding a motorcycle in the rain went viral on social media, in which he could be heard using abusive language against the chief minister. A sessions court on Monday sought a reply from Johar Town police on a habeas corpus petition seeking his recovery. Sajid’s son Muhammad Umar had filed the petition for the recovery of his father. According to the court order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, “No incriminating evidence is present against the accused person to be sent to judicial remand. “Hence, the request of the investigating officer (IO) has been turned down, the accused person is discharged from the instant case … first information report, and the IO is ordered to release the person forthwith”. The Lahore court discharged Sajid after he was nominated...

LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif formally inaugurated the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) at a formal ceremony held at the Lahore Expo Centre on July 14, 2025. The newly established Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) will start operations next week in Lahore Division and expand across the province by December. The authority […]

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab on Monday issued a flood alert for Taunsa Barrage on the Indus River as water levels continue to rise, creating a moderate flood situation.

The nine Punjabi passengers brutally martyred in a terrorist attack by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in Zhob, Balochistan, have been laid to rest in their respective hometowns across Punjab under tight security arrangements.

ISLAMABAD: Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi on Friday informed the National Assembly Standing Committee on Railways that the Punjab government had expressed willingness to finance Rs350 billion for the upgradation and dualisation of railway tracks in the province. Briefing the committee, Mr Abbasi said that during a recent meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Lahore, she showed interest in supporting the infrastructure initiative, which aligns with the broader goals of modernising Pakistan’s railway network. The Main Line-1 (ML-1) project, being carried out under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is a key part of this effort and aims to upgrade the country’s primary rail corridor from Karachi to Peshawar. With an estimated cost of $6.8bn, the project is expected to enhance transport efficiency, reduce travel time, and facilitate freight and passenger movement, particularly as part of Pakistan’s regional connectivity strategy with Central Asia. Meanwhile, Mr Abbasi announced that Pakista...

The bodies of nine bus passengers who were kidnapped and killed in Balochistan’s Sardhaka area last night were recovered and transported to their hometowns in Punjab on Friday morning, officials said. Last night, at least nine passengers travelling on two Punjab-bound coaches were abducted and killed by unidentified armed men in the Sur-Dakai area, situated on the border between Balochistan’s Zhob and Loralai districts. Provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind also confirmed the incident and said that Fitna-al-Hindu­stan — a term the government uses for terrorist organisations in Balo­chistan — had carried out attacks at three different places — Kakat, Mastung and Sur-Dakai. The Balochistan Liberation Front, a banned outfit, later claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the group said it had killed the nine individuals after blocking the highway between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri. Assistant Comm­issioner (AC) Naveed Alam told Dawn.com today that the bodies of all nine passengers were h...

LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced an ad hoc relief allowance for government employees from Grade 1 to 22, ARY News reported. According to a notification issued by the provincial finance department, salaries will see a 10 percent increase based on running basic pay. The Punjab Finance Department maintained that a 5 percent rise has […]

Four people died and 40 were injured in rain-related incidents across Punjab over the past 24 hours as more heavy showers were expected across the province, according to rescue officials and local authorities. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat. They are crucial to replenishing water supplies and agriculture, and therefore, the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security. However, they also wreak havoc by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. At least nine people lost their lives and many others sustained injuries as heavy monsoon rains lashed Lahore on Wednesday. The downpours caused widespread flooding and disrupted daily life in several areas. “Over the last 24 hours, four people died and 40 were injured due to rain and winds across the province,” Rescue 1122 Punjab Spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said in a statement. Those who sustained serious injurie...

Severe rainstorms accompanied by strong winds wreaked havoc across Punjab in the past 24 hours, claiming at least three lives and injuring 22 others in rain-related incidents.

Heavy monsoon downpours lashed Lahore, its outskirts, and various parts of Punjab over the past 24 hours, flooding low-lying areas and throwing life out of gear.

Posts from multiple users on social media platforms X and TikTok on July 4 shared a video allegedly showing a woman Punjab assistant commissioner slapping a local man for setting up an illegal roadside stall. However, the video actually shows a woman confronting a scammer and was shared as far back as October 2024. On July 4, an X user, who appeared to be anti-government based on his past posts, posted a video showing a woman hitting a man while a small crowd of people could be seen gathered around her. The post was captioned: “Government of Punjab, Pakistan, The assistant commissioner got angry over allegedly setting up a roadside stall illegally. Is an assistant commissioner authorised to slap a citizen like this? Does any law allow such humiliation of a citizen?” The post was viewed by 674,000 people. The video with the same claim was also shared here, here, here, here, here, here and here on X, and on TikTok here, here, here, here and here. A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim...