Punjab | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) yesterday decided to hold long pending local government (LG) polls in Punjab by the last week of December.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) decided on Wednesday to hold Punjab’s long-delayed local government (LG) elections in December’s last week and that the process of delimitation would initiate from tomorrow to be completed within two months. Under Article 140-A of the Constitution and Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, the ECP is bound to hold elections within 120 days of the expiry of the term of the local government institutions. In April 2019, the then PTI-led Punjab government dissolved the local government institutions, which were later restored by the Supreme Court and subsequently completed their term on December 31, 2021. That means the elections were supposed to be held by the end of April 2022, but it could not be made possible as the provincial government kept on amending the LG law from time to time. The order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was issued by a four-member ECP bench comprising Chairman Sikandar Sultan Raja, Nisar Ahmed Durrani, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Babar Hass...

In a positive development for kite-flying enthusiasts, the Punjab government is considering the revival of a controlled and safe Basant festival in selected areas during the upcoming spring celebrations.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced that local government (LG) elections in Punjab will be held in the last week of December 2025.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari has reaffirmed that it is the Punjab government’s duty to defend the rights of its people, asserting the province’s long-standing role in supporting the nation during times of crisis.

At least four people have died and another 28 have been injured over the last 24 hours in rain-related incidents across Punjab as the province received heavy rainfall, a spokesperson for the Rescue 1122 Punjab said on Monday. According to a weather alert issued by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) last week, a strong westerly weather system was likely to affect the upper catchments of all major rivers, along with Islamabad, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, causing “heavy to very heavy wind-thunderstorms and rains” from October 5 to October 7. Punjab Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Farooq Ahmed said in a statement: “Over the last 24 hours, four people, including two children, were killed in rain-related incidents, while another 28 were left injured.” He added that in Faisalabad, a 12-year-old girl and an eight-year-old boy lost their lives as the roof of their house caved in due to heavy rains, injuring another seven people. “A 70-year-old man was killed in Nankana Sahib, while a 65-year-old man died in a si...

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Sunday accused the Punjab government of running a targeted campaign against the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and conspiring against the federal government.

The latest accusation in the ongoing rift between the PPP and PML-N came from Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Sunday when he alleged that the Punjab government was taking his party’s cover to “target” the federal government. Memon’s PPP and the PML-N, who are coalition partners in the Centre, have been engaged in a war of words for the past many days over issues from flood compensation to water rights in the context of the Cholistan canals project. The PPP, which is in power in Sindh, has been particularly incensed by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks, whose party is also leading the federal government. As the row continues between the two sides, Memon alleged while addressing a press conference in Karachi that on the face of it, the Punjab government was “indirectly targeting” the PPP, but their “actual target is the federal government”. “They are taking our cover to settle their own issues with the prime minister or the federal government. Or they are trying to create an environment ...

PPP Sindh President Nisar Khuhro on Saturday assailed Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s remarks regarding the contentious canals issue as a violation of the decision made by the Council of Common Interests (CCI). The war of words between the two sides, that kicked off over flood compensation, expanded to water rights on the Indus River as CM Maryam told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself. In response, the PPP had lawmakers stay away from parliamentary proceedings to protest the diatribe. PPP and PML-N bigwigs met in Islamabad on Wednesday to find a way out of the row, with the former asking CM Maryam to “rethink her tone” while speaking about water rights of the provinces. However, she declared a day ago that she would never apologise to the PPP over her outburst, while the latter said she did not represent the people of Punjab as her government was a byproduct of Form 47. In a statement issued today, the PPP leader said her remarks regarding the controversial canal project were a “violation o...

For the first time in Punjab, a major step has been taken in wildlife development under the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif with the launch of an ostrich breeding programme.

More rain is expected in the coming days across Punjab as surveys to assess the losses and damages from the recent floods are underway, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said on Saturday. Since June, monsoon rains across Pakistan have killed at least 1,037 people, swelling major rivers and devastating rural communities along their banks. In Punjab only, over 4.7 million people have been affected across 4,700 villages, according to the PDMA. Addressing a media briefing in Lahore today, DG Kathia said showers were expected to begin early tomorrow morning across Punjab, and continue till October 7 (Tuesday) in the northern parts. The PDMA chief said the north and northeastern regions from Rawalpindi to Lahore were likely to receive 30 to 35 millimetres of rainfall on average, while the province’s southern parts could see 5 to 10mm. He warned that the intensity of the showers would increase on October 6 and 7, with 50 to 70mm of rain anticipated in northern and nort...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Friday said that she would “never apologise” over a recent outburst which escalated into a rift between her party, the PML-N, and its coalition partner, the PPP. The war of words between the two sides — kicked off over flood compensation — expanded to water rights on the Indus River as the Punjab chief minister told the PPP leadership to keep its advice to itself. In response, the PPP, the ruling party in Sindh, had lawmakers stay away from the National Assembly and Senate sittings to protest the diatribe. On Wednesday, PPP and PML-N bigwigs met in Islamabad to find a way out of the row, with the former asking Maryam to “rethink her tone” while speaking about water rights of the provinces. Addressing a ceremony in Lahore, the Punjab CM censured the PPP for hurling “wrongful criticism” at the Punjab government amid devastating floods sweeping the country. “When floods swept through Punjab, the people of one province not only wrongly criticised the Punjab government,...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Thursday declared that safeguarding the dignity of Punjab is her foremost duty, asserting that she will never apologise for standing up for her people.

ISLAMABAD - The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday voiced serious concern over the extraordinary delay in holding local government elections in Punjab.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday voiced concern over the persistent delay in holding local government elections in Punjab.

• PPP leaders insist BISP data best suited for flood relief • Maryam says Punjab is working while other provinces are busy criticising it • 2,200 survey teams with 10,000 personnel from army, other depts deployed in the province • Azma Bokhari threatens to sue Nadeem Afzal Chan over loan claim ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: As the Punjab government on Saturday launched a survey to assess the losses caused by recent floods, the PPP urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to accept its demand for providing immediate relief to the flood-affected people through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). The PML-N and the PPP — coalition partners at the Centre and in Punjab — have been at odds over how to help the flood victims, with the former’s government in Punjab insisting on using its own resources, while the latter is adamant about channelling the aid through the BISP. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, PPP Secretary General Humayun Khan, Senator Palwasha Khan and the party’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leader Muhammad Ali...

• PM doubles compensation for families of victims to Rs2m • 161,000 houses, 395 health facilities damaged in Punjab, UNOCHA says • Senate panel told deluges left 1,000 dead, millions displaced ISLAMABAD: As millions of people have been affected and hundreds of casualties reported across the country during the recent floods and monsoon rains, the prime minister has raised the ex-gratia assistance for the next of kin of those who lost their lives from Rs1 million to Rs2m. More than 4.2 million people in 18 districts of Punjab have been affected by the recent floods, with Muzaffargarh alone accounting for over a quarter of the total, according to a Rapid Needs Assessment (RNA) report released by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). Muzaffargarh, located on the bank of the Chenab River, is followed by Jhang with 646,000 affected people (15.3 per cent), Bahawalpur with 514,000 (12.2pc), Khanewal with 397,000 (9.4pc), and Multan with 347,000 (8.2pc). Other affected distri...

Earthquake tremors were felt in several parts of Pakistan, including Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad, on Friday morning.

The federal government has approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army in Punjab to assist in assessing flood damages across the province.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday said that the Punjab government would enact new law aimed at eliminating land grabbing, particularly from orphans, widows, and underprivileged citizens across the province.