Punjab | Pakistan

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the Punjab government and other respondents on a petition seeking action against those responsible for the incident in which a mother and her daughter died after falling into an open manhole near Bhatti Gate. Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi heard the petition filed by Aamna Malik and the Judicial Activism Panel. Advocate Azhar Siddique, on behalf of the petitioners, pointed out that incidents of citizens falling into manholes were on the rise, which was a matter of serious concern. The counsel expressed regret that negligence was shown by leaving a manhole open in a highly populated area. He claimed that the government took merely cosmetic measures instead of proceeding against the officials responsible for the incident. Siddique asked the court to determine responsibility for the incident and initiate action against those responsible. The assistant attorney general stated that the petitioner unnecessarily made the federal government a party to t...

LAHORE: The federal government on Tuesday notified a reshuffle in the Punjab police high command, with Special Branch Additional Inspector General Rao Abdul Kareem appointed as the new inspector general of police (IGP), replacing Dr Usman Anwar. A day earlier, a highly-placed source confirmed to Dawn that the government has approved a change in the provincial police’s top ranks. In three separate notifications, available with Dawn, Dr Anwar was notified as the new director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), replacing current DG FIA Riffat Mukhtar, who was transferred and directed to report to the Establishment Division, while Kareem was notified as the Punjab IGP. In a post on X, the Punjab police also confirmed the announcement and expressed optimism that “under his inspiring leadership, the Punjab police will achieve milestones in protecting citizens’ lives and property, ensuring swift delivery of justice, and further strengthening the law and order situation”. According to a separate press ...

Preparations for the revival of Basant are gathering pace as the Punjab cabinet has allowed the manufacturing of kite-flying material not only in Lahore but also in four additional districts, a move aimed at ensuring adequate supply ahead of the festival’s return after more than two decades.

The federal government on Tuesday appointed former Punjab inspector general of police Dr Usman Anwar as the new director general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), following a recent reshuffle in the province’s top police leadership.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday inaugurated the Punjab Transport Company (PTC) headquarters and the Electric Vehicle (EV) Command and Control Centre, reiterating the provincial government’s commitment to providing clean, safe and modern public transport across Punjab.

LAHORE: The Punjab government on Monday gave approval for the manufacture of permissible kite-flying material in four more districts of the province owing to the increasing demand and soaring prices of these commodities ahead of the much-anticipated Basant festival in Lahore. Basant will be celebrated in Lahore from February 6-8, albeit under tight curbs, following the Punjab government’s move to lift the ban on the festival after a hiatus of 18 years. Celebrations, however, will remain restricted to the provincial capital, which until now was the only district where the manufacture of permissible kite-flying material was allowed. According to a February 1 letter by the Punjab Home Department to deputy commissioners (DC) concerned, the provincial cabinet has given approval for manufacturing the kite-flying material in Faisalabad, Kasur, Multan and Sheikhupura as well. The letter, seen by Dawn, said that the manufacturers should register themselves with the relevant DCs and through the Punjab government’s e-Bi...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced on Sunday a “long weekend” in the province, declaring a Basant holiday. “Punjab will enjoy a long weekend with Kashmir Day on February 5, a provincial Basant holiday on the 6th, followed by Saturday and Sunday. We hope people across Punjab take this time to relax, recharge, and make the most of the break,” she posted on X. The kite-flying festival was banned in 2007 in Punjab because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders, as well as by celebratory gunfire. But now, a three-day Basant festival is set to kick off in Lahore from February 6, following the Punjab government’s decision to lift a ban on the historic event after 18 years, with strict regulations.

LODHRAN: A child was among four dead while another 28 were injured when a bus carrying wedding guests overturned after colliding with a truck in the Mandhali Mor area of Punjab’s Lodhran district on Sunday. According to a statement issued by Rescue 1122 Lodhran, a “high-speed coaster carrying members of a wedding procession overturned while crossing in front of an overloaded truck, killing four people on the spot”. It added that the deceased included two men, one woman and a child. Another 28 were injured, out of which 27 sustained “severe” injuries and were rushed to the Lodhran District Hospital, while another person was provided medical assistance on the spot, Rescue 1122 said. Separately, a statement by the office of Lodhran District Police Officer (DPO) Ali bin Tariq said he reached the site of the incident immediately after receiving an alert about it. “Reasons behind the accident are being determined, and legal action will be taken against those responsible,” DPO Tariq was quoted as saying. Last month,...

LAHORE: All civil, administrative and police postings and transfers in Punjab are now being made purely on merit, with no room for political influence by the ruling party’s lawmakers or others, Information Minister Azma Bokhari has said. In a conversation with Dawn, Ms Bokhari said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had enforced strict adherence to professional standards, ensuring lawmakers from the ruling party had no influence over transfer and posting decisions. “Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has fully ensured that all postings and transfers in Punjab are made purely on merit, thus ending Sifarish [nepotism] culture,” Ms Bokhari said. “She ensured during her two-year tenure that not a single appointment, even that of an SHO, is made on someone’s reference. This thing was hardly witnessed in the past.” The “strict policy” has reportedly caused friction within the party. According to Ms Bokhari, some PML-N lawmakers, frustrated that the bureaucracy no longer obliged their requests, conveyed concerns to party h...

Pakistan’s weather authorities have issued an alert forecasting rain and snowfall across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and parts of Punjab from January 31 to February 3 due to a fresh western weather system.

Punjab will launch the National Polio Immunization Days (NIDs) campaign from Monday (February 2), aiming to vaccinate more than 17.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday inaugurated the province’s first-ever flagship youth empowerment initiative, the Parwaz Card, aimed at providing financial assistance and employment opportunities to skilled youth across Punjab.

LAHORE: With the festival of Basant drawing closer, the Punjab government on Monday imposed a ban on the manufacturing and use of kites bearing images of any political party’s flag for 30 days. In the notification seen by Dawn, the Punjab Home Department notified the imposition of Section 144 prohibiting the purchase and use of kites bearing images of any person, holy scripture, religious place, country’s flag or that of a political party in an effort to “avoid any discrimination or disruption of public order”. The department said that it had been reported that to disrupt the festival, miscreants may use images of holy scripture, religious places and flags of countries and political parties. “Only plain, uni-coloured or multi-coloured kites (i.e. gudda or patang) shall be allowed during kite flying in the district of Lahore from February 6 to 8,” the department said. It asserted that the government had permitted kite flying solely for “recreation and festivity”, while banning “the manufacturing, trade, transp...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday warned citizens against violating the rules set for Basant, which is set to be celebrated in Lahore from February 6 to 8. The festival is returning to Lahore after 18 years. The Punjab government has announced that there are no plans to celebrate Basant across the province and also notified a host of rules for the three-day festival. Addressing a meeting on preparations for Basant, which was broadcast live on television, the Punjab CM said, “Basant was an 800-year-old festival; it is not just a festival but a metaphor for renewal.” She said the festival was “our heritage” and celebrated around the world. “I want to give the good news to the people that for the first time, we are celebrating a government-sponsored and government-organised Basant from February 6 to 8,” she said. She regretted that due to negligence, the festival became associated with accidents. She said that she would give a detailed briefing to the people of Punjab on a plan for Basant in a few day...

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday informed the Senate that there was no restriction or ban on admissions of Baloch students in Punjab’s public sector universities.

The PTI has set up a three-member committee aimed at providing legal aid and welfare support to its members incarcerated in Punjab and their families. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has formally notified the committee, called the ‘PTI Punjab Legal and Welfare Committee’. Haider Majeed, Faiza Murad and Ali Ijaz Buttar have been named members of the committee. The notification states: “The PTI hereby announces the constitution of the PTI Punjab Legal and Welfare Committee for the support of party members who have been convicted or are currently incarcerated as well as for the welfare of their families. “All matters concerning the imprisonment, legal proceedings and welfare of PTI-affiliated prisoners and their families in the province of Punjab may be referred to any member of the committee,” it added. The committee will convene meetings as required and will remain in close coordination with the party leadership, it said. It further stated that it would keep the office of the secretary general fully in...

Dense fog blanketed several cities of Punjab on Sunday, sharply reducing visibility and disrupting road and air travel.

At least 24 people were killed and over 20 were injured in two separate accidents on Saturday, as a truck fell into a dry canal in Punjab’s Sargodha district and a coach overturned near Balochistan’s Ormara tehsil. In Sargodha, six children were among 14 dead, while nine others were injured in the early hours of Saturday when a truck carrying cargo and passengers fell into a canal from the Galapur Bangla bridge due to fog, said Rescue 1122. According to Punjab Rescue 1122 officials, the truck was travelling from Islamabad to Faisalabad with 23 people on board for a funeral when the unfortunate incident took place. “Due to heavy fog, the motorway was closed, so the vehicle took a local route. In the area of Kot Momin tehsil, the truck fell from the Galapur bridge into the canal,” said a statement from Rescue 1122, adding that the truck “lost control because of poor visibility”. The Rescue 1122 statement added that the canal was dry, but passengers were stuck beneath the truck when it overturned. The injured we...

Dense fog once again blanketed large parts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the night between Friday and Saturday, bringing routine life to a standstill and severely disrupting road traffic due to extremely low visibility.

Wheat prices have surged sharply over the past ten days across Punjab and Islamabad, triggering concerns over flour availability and rising costs for consumers.