Punjab | Pakistan

LAHORE: Punjab’s potato farmers and independent researchers called for urgent government intervention through subsidised exports as a massive production surplus collided with stagnant domestic demand and shrinking export prospects. Due to the closure of the Afghanistan border over recent months, potato prices in Pakistan have plunged to rock-bottom levels. Independent researchers and farmers across Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan, Kasur, and adjoining districts feared the market had already begun to collapse, and in some places, it had collapsed even before the full arrival of the new crop. Wholesale prices had fallen below production costs, forcing some growers to plough standing crops back into the soil to avoid further losses. Potatoes were being sold in the market at Rs 20–25 per kg in the three districts of the Sahiwal division. President of the Pakistan Kisan Ittehad, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, while highlighting the miseries of potato farmers in the districts of Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Kasur, Khanewal, and V...

The pace of development across Punjab’s cities and villages is set to accelerate further as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting to review progress on major urban and rural development initiatives.

The concept of “martial rule” and the associated ideology of the “martial races” occupy a central place in the colonial and post-colonial history of Punjab. Far from being a mere military recruitment strategy, this theory evolved into a durable socio-political framework that reshaped agrarian relations, state power, and political authority in the region. Drawing upon the works of scholars such as Mustafa Kamal Pasha, Clive Dewey, Tan Tai Yong, and Rajit Mazumdar, one can trace how martial rule developed as an intellectual and administrative project, how it became deeply embedded in the agrarian economy of Punjab, and how its long-term ramifications elevated the military to a decisive force in contemporary politics. The theory of martial rule emerged from the broader colonial construct of the “martial races,” formulated by British administrators in the aftermath of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. As Tan Tai Yong demonstrates, the rebellion marked a decisive rupture in British perceptions of loyalty and governanc...

Various sections of motorways across Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh were closed on the night between Sunday and Monday as dense fog reduced visibility to dangerous levels, officials said.

Dense fog blanketed large parts of Punjab and Sindh overnight between Friday and Saturday, prompting authorities to shut several sections of the motorway network as visibility dropped to dangerously low levels, officials said.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that the launch of shrimp farming will significantly increase Punjab’s exports, strengthen the provincial economy and create new opportunities for sustainable development.

Intermittent rainfall continued in Islamabad and several parts of Punjab on Thursday, further intensifying cold weather conditions across the region.

LAHORE: In a major policy shift, the Punjab government on Wednesday announced that it has no plans to celebrate the Basant festival across the province and that it will instead be celebrated only in Lahore. Basant is returning to Lahore after 18 years, following the passage of the Punjab Regulation of Kite Flying Bill, 2025 by the provincial assembly on December 24. So far, only the Lahore deputy commissioner has notified the three-day festival starting on February 6, 2026, while deputy commissioners in other districts were expected to follow suit. However, the 46th Cabinet Committee on Law and Order — chaired by Khawaja Salman Rafique — met at the Punjab Home Department today and noted that Basant would be celebrated only in Lahore and on a limited scale. Though there was no need for all divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners to be present at the meeting, sources in the Home Department told Dawn that they were specially invited to attend via video link, particularly for the “Basant agenda”. Punjab...

Dense fog enveloped large parts of Punjab late Wednesday night, severely reducing visibility and forcing the temporary closure of several motorway sections, officials said.

In a move aimed at strengthening law enforcement and public safety, the Punjab government has approved the procurement of 20 armoured security vehicles for the Punjab Police, with a total cost of Rs1.

Dense fog once again enveloped the plains of Punjab, including Lahore, on the night between Monday and Tuesday, paralysing routine life and severely disrupting road traffic due to extremely low visibility.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, in a letter addressed to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday, expressed “deep concern” at the treatment meted out to him during his three-day Lahore visit, stating it was marked by “discourtesy and unnecessary hostility”. In a two-page letter, posted on X by the KP government, the Afridi recorded his formal objection to the Punjab government’s conduct, and said, “I write to you with deep concern and strong exception to the manner in which my recent visit to the Province of Punjab was handled, and the events that deliberately unfolded during and after the visit.” He recalled that the “sequence of actions witnessed was neither accidental nor administrative in nature. “It reflects conduct that is wholly incompatible with the dignity of constitutional office and the spirit of inter-provincial respect,” he said. CM Afridi told the Punjab CM that he undertook the visit in his capacity as the chief minister. “Regrettably, the treatment accorded to me was mark...

Dense fog once again enveloped the plains of Punjab, including Lahore, on the night between Sunday and Monday, paralysing routine life and severely disrupting road traffic across the province.

Most areas of Punjab were engulfed by air pollution on Sunday, with Lahore reporting unhealthy air quality levels, according to the latest data.

Punjab’s first-ever Sahulat on the Go bazaars have emerged as a major public attraction, offering affordable, quality essentials to citizens while providing street vendors with organized and dignified livelihoods.

• Warns provincial govt against implementing ‘illegal aspirations of land mafias’ • Calls legislation unconstitutional, in conflict with CPC, CrPC, Evidence Act, other laws ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) on Saturday went beyond mere condemnation of the recently promulgated Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act, 2025, cautioning the Punjab government against implementing what it described as the “unlawful aspirations of land mafias”. Presided over by Vice Chairman Chaudhry Tahir Nasrullah Warraich, the outgoing PBC cabinet unanimously demanded that the Punjab government immediately recall the law and tender an apology to the Lahore High Court (LHC) for what it termed “insulting remarks and a rude attitude”. The PBC — the apex body regulating the legal fraternity — reiterated that lawyers stand firmly with the LHC and will not allow anyone to compromise the integrity of the judiciary. The council warned that if corrective measures were not taken within a few days, the lawyer’s comm...

Dense fog engulfed several cities of Punjab on Friday, severely reducing visibility and forcing the Motorway Police to close multiple sections of motorways to ensure the safety of motorists.

LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced helmet exemption for Sikh community in respect of turban, an important practice of their religion. The Sikhs were finding it hard to follow the traffic regulation of wearing helmets and a Sikh man had approached Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz with a request for exemption. The CM made the announcement the other day while addressing the minority community. A clip of her speech was shared on the PML-N’s X account. “The Sikh community’s turban is their identity and their religious belief. With this respect in mind, the traffic department has, for the first time, been instructed to grant Sikh citizens an exemption from wearing helmets,” said the CM in her speech to the minority communities. She said Punjab had made minorities a crown of its head. Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2025

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Aalia Neelum on Friday overturned the decisions of deputy commissioner-led committees that granted the possession of properties to people in 10 districts of Punjab, deciding cases of land disputes. Justice Neelum reversed the decisions after hearing petitions against the Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Act 2025, which empowers deputy commissioner-led committees to decide property disputes. During the hearing, the chief justice remarked that had the “patwaris” (revenue officials) performed their duties promptly, such issues would not have arisen. Rejecting a notion of prolonged pendency of civil litigation, the chief justice observed, “I am well aware of how many old cases are pending before courts.” She asserted that commissioners and deputy commissioners had no authority to remove or restore possessions of properties on their own, and questioned how many laws the government would throw aside. The chief justice regretted that deputy commission...

The tribunals recently notified by the Punjab government under the property ownership law have yet to become fully operational, as they have not been provided with the requisite staff or designated premises to conduct proceedings. On Monday, Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Aalia Neelum suspended the operation of the newly enacted Punjab Protection of Ownership of Immovable Property Ordinance, 2025, which empowers deputy commissioner-led committees to decide property disputes. In response to the suspension, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz argued that the move would “benefit encroachment and land-grabbing mafias”. During Wednesday’s hearing against the law, Justice Neelum remarked that the notification for the tribunals was recently issued after almost two and a half months, but the tribunals were still not functional, noting that neither staff nor place had been designated to the tribunals. It may be mentioned that the Punjab government had appointed the LHC-nominated judicial officers as members of t...