Punjab | Pakistan

At least one passenger died while 33 were injured after four coaches of the Karachi-bound train derailed and overturned late last night in Punjab’s Lodhran, Rescue 1122 said on Sunday. According to a statement from Rescue 1122, the Awami Express train was travelling from Lahore to Karachi when the incident happened. “Four coaches of the train suddenly derailed due to brake failure near the Lodhran Railway Station”, the statement said. “The incident left one person dead while another 33 were injured, out of which 11 received medical assistance at the site of the incident, and the rest were immediately rushed to the District Hospital in Lodhran.” It further said that two critically injured persons were transferred to a hospital in Bahawalpur. Expressing grief over the loss of life, Minister for Railways Muhammad Hanif Abbasi vowed to take disciplinary action against those responsible for the incident. He ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed authorities to submit a report within seven days. “No one ...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has issued a fresh monsoon weather alert warning of heavy rainfall, cloudbursts, and possible river flooding in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Kashmir.

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has led a special session and issued a deadline of June 30, 2026, for Punjab water filtration plants to be completed within defined timeframe, with a specific focus on remote and underserved areas. Maryam Nawaz during the meeting in Lahore, went through the development on several development initiatives […]

Heavy monsoon rains and glacier melting have triggered a rise in water levels across rivers in Punjab, while flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have claimed 307 lives over the past 48 hours, disaster management authorities reported on Saturday.

LAHORE: Police attempted to arrest Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leader Advocate Haider Majeed, who was convicted by a military court, when he was finally released from Kot Lakhpat Jail after completing the two-year term, on Wednesday. PTI leaders Shayan Bashir and Rai Muhammad Ali Kharl, along with party workers, accorded a warm welcome to Advocate Majeed. The workers passionately chanted slogans in favour of the PTI founder Imran Khan and Majeed. Soon after Mr Majeed came out of jail, police pounced and arrested his father and brother. However, Mr Majeed managed to slip away on a motorcycle and reached Model Town courts. Reacting to the police action, Mr Bashir wondered that the Punjab police have become so confused as it did not want to let the PTI leader remain free despite completing his two-year “illegal confinement.” “We strongly condemn the illegal detention of Advocate Majeed’s father and brother,” Mr Bashir added. Published in Dawn, August 14th, 2025

LAHORE: The provincial government has revised the Punjab school reopening schedule following the earlier delays due to the bad weather in the province, ARY News reported. The major decision, announced by Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat for students and parents across Punjab, has been circulated after consultations with education experts and other stakeholders. According […]

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday announced the launch of modern electric buses in several remote districts of Punjab, offering comfortable travel at an affordable fare of just Rs20. In a message on the social media platform X, the CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif said a fleet of 100 air-conditioned, Wi-Fi-enabled electric buses […]

Lahore - Lahore General Hospital (LGH) has achieved a major milestone by securing the top position in infection control among all teaching hospitals in Punjab.

LAHORE: Two more people died on Saturday, taking the death toll due to monsoon rainfall in Punjab to 166, as another spell of torrential monsoon lashed several cities in Punjab. The deaths were reported in Sialkot and Jhelum, with the former receiving 78 millimetres of rain — the highest in the province. According to the Pakistan Meteorologi-cal Department (PMD), Sialkot City received 78mm of rain, Lahore 43.4mm, Gujranwala 36.8mm, Chakwal 23mm, Attock 13.6mm, Mangla 12.2mm, Gujrat 10.6mm, Narowal 5.0mm, Rawalakot 4.0mm, Islamabad Airport 3.9mm, and Mandi Bahauddin 0.5mm. The Met Department said mainly hot and humid weather was expected in most parts of Punjab, but rain-wind/thundershower was expected at isolated places in northeastern Punjab, Potohar, Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and adjoining hilly areas on Sunday. According to provincial figures issued on Aug 8, 164 people have died and 82 have sustained injuries during the ongoing monsoon season that has also killed 121 head of cattle. Ab...

For the first time in over three decades, the Punjab government has completely cleared all loans taken from local banks, freeing the province from debt and ending a long era of financial dependence.

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab has reported low-level flooding in the Indus River at Chashma Barrage.

LAHORE: The Agriculture Department of Punjab has reported a significantly higher cotton harvest for the ongoing crop year 2025-26, claiming that 609,000 bales were harvested by July 31. This figure is more than double the 301,000 bales reported by the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA). Citing data from its Crop Reporting Service (CRS), a spokesperson for the department clarified on Thursday that the 609,000 bales of seed cotton were recorded up to July 31. In contrast, the PCGA’s estimate reflects only the cotton arriving at operational ginning factories in Punjab, irrespective of its origin. The spokesperson emphasised that the CRS figures are based on internationally recognised, scientifically proven methods. These include randomised sampling, ground truthing techniques, and GPS-enabled tools, all of which are in line with FAO-endorsed methodologies. The CRS also utilises a real-time digital dashboard that ensures transparency and supports evidence-based policy decisions. The department further arg...

PPP eyes PTI voters in Punjab by-elections

All public and private schools across Punjab will remain closed until August 31, as provincial authorities have decided to extend the summer vacation due to ongoing weather concerns.

The body of a missing teenage girl was recovered from a drain near Punjab’s Rawat on Wednesday, according to police. Kahuta Police Station House Officer (SHO) Zakaullah Shah told Dawn.com: “ Fifteen-year-old Sania Bibi, daughter of Muhammad Waris, a resident of Kahuta town, had gone missing from her home the previous day, while her body was found lying in Lang Nullah in the Rawat area on Wednesday morning.“ Shah said that her body was transported to Kahuta Tehsil Headquarter Hospital for a postmortem to ascertain the cause of her death. The SHO further added that her family had told the police that she was mentally ill and had left her home barefoot. “They were searching for her and she probably jumped into the ravine. Her body was recovered miles away in the Rawat area, at the bank of the nullah,” the SHO said. The official added that all aspects of her death would be investigated after receiving postmortem reports. Last month, the prime suspect in the Arshman Akhtar murder case was killed in an alleged enco...

A roof collapse due to heavy rains killed a 17-year-old girl and injured three other family members in Punjab’s Rawalpindi district in the early hours of Tuesday morning, rescue officials said. Starting in late June, monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. Roof collapses are a particularly common occurrence due to a large number of mud houses that are unable to withstand the heavy downpour. According to Rescue 1122, the roof collapse occurred on Daultala Road of Gujar Khan tehsil. A neighbour of the family reported that the side walls of their house collapsed and the roof caved in at about 1:30am while they were sleeping. According to the neighbour, “all the people in the neighbourhood rushed to the rescue” upon getting the information. The victims were pulled out of the rubble and taken to the hospital. Rescue 1122 District Emergency Officer Muhammad Sibghtullah said t...

LAHORE: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Punjab and the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Monday warned that a spell of heavy torrential rains will begin on Aug 5 (today), persisting till August 7, warning of urban flooding in some cities. Officials warn that urban flooding is feared in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala and Islamabad over the next 72 hours. According to the PDMA fact sheet, heavy rains have already claimed 163 lives so far this season, besides leaving 579 people injured and 215 homes damaged across Punjab. The PDMA also predicted moderate to high-level flooding in the Chenab and Jhelum rivers from August 5, with thunderstorms expected in upper catchment areas. PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia placed all emergency centres on high alert, stating, “Our field teams are monitoring the situation 24/7, especially in vulnerable areas like Murree where landslides remain a serious threat.” Meanwhile, the current rains and floods have filled the Tarbela Dam up to 91 perc...

Five cops were martyred after bandits of the Katcha area attacked a police checkpoint in Rahim Yar Khan, a statement from the Punjab police said on Friday. For decades, dozens of bandit gangs armed with sophisticated weaponry have operated with impunity in northern Sindh as well as southern Punjab. Kidnappings for ransom, extortion rackets that cripple local businesses, brutal killings and looting people on the major highways have become a daily reality. According to a statement from the office of the Inspector General of Punjab, almost 40 bandits, using rocket launchers and grenades, attacked the Sheikhani police picket in the Katcha area, situated between Chowk Sewetra and Chowk Mahi near the Guddu-Kashmore Road on Thursday night. “During the attack, policemen of Elite Force, including Muhammad Irfan, Muhammad Saleem and Nukhail of Bahawalnagar, together with Khalil and Ghazanfar of Rahim Yar Khan, were martyred,” the statement said, adding that a bandit was also killed when the police retaliated. Following...

Following successful negotiations with the Punjab government, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has agreed to revise the route of its ongoing 'Haq Do Balochistan March' in a bid to ensure a peaceful continuation of the protest.

Report finds 1,956 cases in early 2025, most reported from Punjab