The dispute concerns the watercourse pertaining to Outlet No. 28150/R of Ghalwan Distributary, Sher Sultan Canal Sub-Division, where farmers Muhammad Afzal, Abdul Majeed, Muhammad Akram, Ghulam Hussain and Manzoor Ahmad sought restoration of the channel, alleging that a family had encroached upon it and constructed houses.

According to the complainants, the watercourse was recorded as 11-foot wide but construction over most of its alignment had reduced the available passage to around one to two feet at the affected point. They said the house had been constructed about a month before the site inspection.

The irrigation department conducted an inquiry into the complaint. The inquiry found permanent residential structures along both sides of the watercourse and observed that it had remained substantially non-functional for a considerable period and was being used mainly for sewerage disposal.

Affected farmers question irrigation dept’s decision to clean, not restore water channel

The Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO-Canal), after hearing the parties, obtaining verification from the Zilladar and Patwari and personally inspecting the site, issued his decision on Sept 29.

According to the decision (copy available with Dawn), the SDO directed the concerned shareholders/users to clean and maintain the existing alignment and restore irrigation supply through it.

The SDO did not order removal of the construction or restoration of the watercourse to its recorded 11-foot width.

The officer rejected the demand for removal of the alleged encroachment, observing that widening the channel would involve disturbance or removal of permanent residential structures and was not warranted under the existing site conditions.

The order also stated that an alternative watercourse was available and could be used for irrigation where required.

The farmers, however, said the department’s decision had acknowledged the existence of encroachment but did not order its removal to fully restore the watercourse.

They said the watercourse was a pre-Partition irrigation channel and that restricting it to the existing narrow passage would prevent them from properly irrigating their crops. “If the watercourse is not available for irrigation, why should we pay abiana (water tax) to the government?” they questioned.

They said the SDO mentioned availability of an alternate watercourse in its decision but it did not connect to their land to irrigate it.

The farmers also referred to provisions of the Punjab Irrigation, Drainage and Rivers Act 2023 concerning interference with watercourses. Under Section 46, land that has remained under a watercourse cannot be put to another use, while demolition, alteration or interference with a watercourse requires written permission of the superintending canal officer.

Section 47 provides for restoration where a watercourse has been demolished, altered, obstructed or damaged without proper authority. The law also provides for maintenance of a watercourse ledger containing details including its alignment, layout and the land irrigated by it.

The SDO’s order does not state that any written permission was issued for altering the disputed watercourse or constructing a residential structure over its alignment.

The respondent party, however, told the department that the watercourse had remained non-functional for several years and their house was away from the actual alignment.

The department directed its field staff to ensure compliance with the order and submit a report regarding cleaning and restoration.

The farmers maintain that cleaning the remaining passage cannot restore the watercourse to its original condition if its recorded width has been occupied by a residential structure.

They said they would challenge the decision before the higher irrigation authorities and seek restoration of the watercourse to its recorded alignment and width.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2026

The girl became pregnant and the suspect threatened to kill the girl if she reported the matter to police.

The victim’s father told police that seven months ago, his 14-year-old daughter was alone at home when the local youth entered the house and raped her.

The girl was taken to the hospital after her health suddenly deteriorated where the doctor revealed that she was seven months pregnant. At this, the girl told her mother about her ordeal.

The Shakargarh City Police Station registered an FIR against the suspect who fled the village.

ARRESTED: Sialkot police arrested the suspects who shaved off the head of a man to shame him.

Khurram Shahzad, the spokesperson for the Sialkot police, said Zeeshan Ali, a resident of village Raipur, Pasrur, had filed a complaint with the police, saying that he was at his home when there was a knock at the door. When he opened the door, he found Ismail Munawar, a resident of village Malipur, accompanied by his accomplices.

They bundled him in a car and took him to an outhouse where they subjected him to physical abuse and torture.

The suspects shaved his head off and kept him in a room for two days. They also recorded a video of the assault and posted it on social media.

Based on Zeeshan Ali’s complaint, the Sabz Peer Police Station registered an FIR against Ismail Munawar, Tahir Noor, Farid Nazeer and Tanveer Manzoor.

Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO) retired Capt Dost Muhammad told Dawn that all four suspects had been arrested.

He said that the incident was the result of a family dispute.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2026

Gojra City police said Nisar Ahmad and his wife, Tasleem Akhtar, quarrelled over a family matter and Nisar sprinkled her with petrol before setting her on fire.

Tasleem received critical burns all over her body. She was rushed to Gojra Tehsil Headquarters Hospital where doctors referred her to Faisalabad’s Allied Hospital. Police have arrested the suspect.

ACCIDENT: Three persons died and another sustained serious injuries in a road accident in Khanewal.

According to Rescue 1122, all three deceased as well as the injured were on the same motorcycle travelling on the National Highway near Niazi Chowk when a speeding bus hit their bike. As a result, three of them died on impact while the fourth man was critically injured.

The deceased were identified as Muhammad Yousaf (34) and Mudassar Hussain (30) of Rajanpur and Ilyas Akram (35) of Dera Ghazi Khan. The wounded, identified as Kamran Majeed (35) of Muzaffargarh, was shifted to Khanewal DHQ Hospital.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2026

The chief minister will attend the award ceremony on the occasion of the World Habitat Day on Monday (tomorrow), where the honour will be presented at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre, says a press release.

The UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour is the highest international award associated with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. It recognises individuals, cities, governments and public institutions, civil society organisations, private organisations, research institutions and projects for contributions towards affordable and adequate housing, sustainable urban development, improved basic urban services, urban reconstruction and disaster recovery.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2026

Saeed Ahmed, a farm worker, was asleep at his outhouse along with his brothers on Friday night. His brothers awoke due to noise and found Saeed missing from his charpoy. They rushed to the outside, where they saw Asad Junaid and Ali Husnain dragging Saeed to their farmhouse and assaulting him with axes and iron rods.

Ali Husnain accused Saeed of having an illicit relationship with his wife. He, abetted by Asad Junaid, killed Saeed with blows of axes and rods. When Saeed’s brothers arrived, the attackers fled, leaving him critically injured.

Saeed succumbed to his injuries on the spot. Police shifted the body to the DHQ Hospital Pakpattan for autopsy.

Ahmedyar Police registered a case on complaint of Allah Rakha against Asad Junaid and Ali Husnain.

GANG RAPE: A 14yearold girl was allegedly gang-raped by three men at Mohalla Ghaziabad, Chichawatni.

According to the complainant woman, she and her husband, a daily wage labourer, had an acquaintance with the suspect and his wife who lived in the neighbourhood.

The complainant stated that her eldest daughter (14) appeared distressed for several days. Upon persistent questioning, she revealed that the suspect’s wife had invited her to her house as usual but locked her inside a room where her husband and his two accomplices allegedly gang-raped her.

The suspects recorded a video of the incident and blackmailed her.

Ghaziabad Police registered a case against the main suspect , his wife for abetting him, and two other men.

Police said three men had been arrested.

MOBILE PHONES: Around 160 stolen mobiles worth Rs6 million were returned to their owners by district police.

District Police Officer Usman Tipu told Dawn that mobile phones were stolen or snatched during the last two months and their complaints were registered with different police stations.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2026

The department has also accelerated efforts to make all faulty (dummy) wagons fit for operation while taking action against the vendors who failed to supply parts on time.

“It is the vision of the prime minister as well as mine to make all-out efforts to maintain the railway infrastructure for safe train operation. This is why I have assigned the officers concerned the task to accomplish the target of making all dummy coaches and wagons fit for operation,” Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi explained while talking to Dawn.

“I have also asked the officers to replace the faulty brake cylinders, blocks and shoes with new ones,” he added.

According to the minister, the outsourcing of trains and luggage vans is also underway and 13 express passenger trains would be outsourced till Dec 31. For this, the process, including the advertisement and award of the contract, would be completed soon.

“At present, the commercial operation of six trains is being carried out by the private parties,” Mr Abbasi said, adding that the trains to be outsourced by December included Sandal, Allama Iqbal Express, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Fareed Express, Sukkur Express, Babu Passenger, Bulleh Shah Passenger, Mohenjodaro Express, Lasani Express, Sialkot Express, Karachi Express, Bahauddin Zakariya Express and Tezgam.

To a question, he said the railway bridge affected by the recent floods on Lahore-Faisalabad track would be rehabilitated within the next two months, helping railways to restore the rail traffic. For the first time, according to him, the freight revenue exceeded the passenger revenue in the railways.

“I think, the railways would be able to earn revenue of Rs120bn from the passenger and freight train operations alone by the end of the ongoing fiscal year on June 30,” he hoped.

Meanwhile, the minister presided over a meeting at the railway headquarters and directed the authorities to blacklist private vendors responsible for delays in the supply of equipment and materials. During the meeting, matters pertaining to railway operations, revenue generation, maintenance, security and outsourcing came under discussion.

Mr Abbasi directed the authorities to install modern CCTV cameras and deploy private security personnel at all railway workshops and yards to prevent theft. He said collective efforts were required to achieve the revenue targets set for the current financial year, adding that locomotives undergoing repairs should be restored to service according to the prescribed schedule.

The minister ordered legal action against negligent officials. The meeting was also told by the officers concerned that advance planning was essential for ensuring transparency and improving the railway system. He further directed that the ongoing track renewal work in Sukkur division should be completed by Dec 31 as it would save operational time by around one-and-a-half hours. He also ordered that the flood-damaged Mian Kallar Bridge be completed within 60 days and repair of employees’ residential quarters in Lahore within two months.

Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2026

The 20-year-old Azerbaijan national had travelled to Pakistan for business purposes and was allegedly gang-raped by three men in a rented flat of a private housing society near Raiwind on the night between Sept 25 and Sept 26. Two of those men had been arrested and were sent on a six-day physical remand on Tuesday.

In her statement, the complainant had named two women with whom she had met before the men accused of raping her gathered with them at an apartment. One woman had secured pre-arrest bail while the other was arrested and sent on a three-day physical remand on Wednesday.

On Saturday, upon the completion of her remand, the police produced the woman suspect before Magistrate Azhar Mahmood.

The investigating officer told the magistrate that as further custody of the suspect was not required for investigation, she could be sent to jail on judicial remand.

Subsequently, the magistrate allowed the request and sent the suspect on a 14-day judicial remand until Oct 17.

Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Investigation Syed Zeeshan Raza noted that a total of three suspects have been arrested so far, while one was still at large.

Addressing a press conference, the DIG said swabs of the survivor and the suspects were taken and sent to the forensic science agency for further investigation. The ages of the suspects were between 25 and 30 years.

He also claimed that the suspects had confessed to their crime and police were continuing their investigation.

DIG Raza said the suspects had threatened the woman for having contacts with influential people and stopped her from approaching the police.

Survivor’s statement

The Defence C police had registered a first information report (FIR) against three unidentified suspects on September 26 on the Azeri woman’s complaint.

In her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the survivor said she had arrived in Islamabad from Istanbul on Sept 13 and stayed in Faisalabad for five days before travelling to Lahore.

“I had a plan to visit Skardu, but I could not go there because I was alone,” she said.

According to her, on the day of the alleged incident, she messaged two women, asking them to meet her in Lahore.

At around 11pm, she went to a cafe where she met one of them — the woman sent on remand today — and later accompanied her to a house in Bahria Town to meet the other, who has secured pre-arrest bail until Oct 5.

The complainant told the magistrate that at around 2am, a white car arrived carrying two men, one of whom was sent on remand on Tuesday (first suspect).

Later, they moved to an apartment where two more men arrived, one of whom was the second person sent on remand (second suspect), while she did not know the name of the other man.

According to the complainant, in a separate room, the woman on bail took between Rs20,000 and Rs30,000 from the first suspect, saying the money was for a party, while the woman now on remand also joined them.

The Azeri woman said she made it clear that she “did not need money or alcohol”. She alleged that the first suspect tried to touch her and locked her in a separate room.

When she asked about her friends, she was told that they had left. When she tried to leave, the complainant said she was told that she could not go because her friends had taken money.

The victim said she offered to pay the men, but they told her that she would have to drink alcohol with them before they would let her go.

She alleged that the three men raped her.

She further stated that the suspects then put her in a car and threw her out at an unknown location, while threatening her with dire consequences if she approached the police.

According to her statement, the suspects also took her handbag containing Rs200,000, an iPhone 13 Pro Max and another mobile phone.

She then requested some people present there to help her call the police emergency number 15, following which the police arrived.

It is the second such case in which a foreign woman was reportedly gang-raped in the Defence C police station area during the last four months.

In June, two foreign women, nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela, were allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted in the Defence C police station area.

According to the FIR, the women were abducted by five suspects, including a close relative of a senior political personality, who demanded ransom and subjected them to sexual assault during their captivity.

DIG Operations Faisal Kamran told mediapersons that the robbery took place at around 9:30am near Bhatta Chowk. He said a masked suspect entered the bank premises after taking the guard hostage. He then reached the cash counter, along with the hostage guard, collected cash and escaped the scene.

The crime was committed within a few minutes.

The DIG said that soon after looting the cash, the suspect drove back to his home which showed that he was not a habitual criminal.

DIG says financial difficulties pushed UK-returned youth to commit crime by seeking help from the online game

He said police teams were formed soon after receiving an emergency 15 call about the robbery, adding that the police traced him through the Safe City and private cameras and reached his house, located a few minutes’ drive away from the bank. The DIG said that the suspect was identified as Subhan, who had returned to Pakistan from the UK on Sept 16. He said the suspect was living alone in Lahore as his family was settled in the UK.

He said that the suspect had been playing the PUBG game for the last many years. On the day of the incident, he got a ‘task’ from the game to rob a bank and acquired a mask and a pistol from somewhere to execute the crime.

He said the police interrogated the suspect when he talked about the game, keeping in view such incidents in the past involving young men.

He said that the arrested suspect also briefed the police about the methods described in the game to carry out a bank robbery.

The DIG said that the suspect was planning to flee to Islamabad with the looted money when the police raided the house. He said the weapon, looted cash and a briefcase were recovered from him.

He said that the suspect had changed his vehicle’s number plates to mislead the police.

The DIG said the suspect had £1,200 when he reached Pakistan, however, he spent the entire amount and had been demanding more money from his family. When his family refused, he planned the bank robbery to overcome his financial constraints, he added. He said that according to initial investigations, he was influenced by online gaming and web series.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2026

According to the rankings released by THE on Sept 30, the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) secured the 601–650 band, while COMSATS University Islamabad was placed in the 651–700 band. Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), University of Agriculture Faisalabad and University of Lahore shared the 701–800 band.

A group of Pakistani universities was placed in the 801–1000 band, including Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Air University, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Gomal University, Government College University Faisalabad, Government College University Lahore, International Islamic University Islamabad, Iqra University, Islamia University of Bahawalpur, University of the Punjab, University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore, University of Central Punjab, University of Engineering and Technology Taxila, University of Gujrat, University of Malakand and University of Management and Technology.

The 1001–1200 band included Capital University of Science and Technology, Hazara University Mansehra, Islamia College Peshawar, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Riphah International University, Sukkur IBA University, University of Haripur, Women University Multan, University of Okara, University of Peshawar, University of Swabi and Bahria University.

Kohat University of Science and Technology, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, University of Education Lahore, University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, University of Sargodha and University of Swat were placed in the 1201–1400 band.

The 1401–1600 band comprised Institute of Space Technology, Lahore College for Women University, Mehran University of Engineering and Technology Jamshoro, MNS University of Agriculture Multan and Superior University. Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences (BUITEMS), Dow University of Health Sciences, Mirpur University of Science and Technology, National Textile University and University of Karachi were placed in the 1601–1800 band. Khyber Medical University and NED University of Engineering and Technology were placed in the 1801–2000 band, while National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) was placed in the 2001+ band.

THE’s Pakistan listing confirms Quaid-i-Azam University as the highest-ranked Pakistani institution in the 2027 rankings, followed by NUST, COMSATS University Islamabad and BZU.

The 2027 rankings cover 2,297 institutions from 118 countries and territories, while the underlying table contains 3,146 institutions, including universities and other entries represented in the wider dataset. THE said the 2027 edition was its most inclusive to date and introduced more granular ranking bands.

THE assesses research-intensive universities across their core missions of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook, using 17 performance indicators. Higher Education Commission (HEC) Chairman Prof Dr Niaz Ahmad Akhtar told Dawn that 48 universities were ranked in 2026 but the number increased during 2027. He said that it was a good sign for higher education that Pakistani universities were ranked globally and that he would congratulate the vice chancellors, faculty and alumni of these universities.

Mr Akhtar said the universities should focus on improving its research quality to further improve its rankings and currently development projects were being carried out in public sector universities to improve its infrastructure and quality of education.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2026

She was addressing a delegation of the National Command Authority Senior Officers Leadership Course on Thursday, according to an official handout.

Speaking on the occasion, she said Pakistan’s “excellent image and new face” had emerged before the world during the recent conflict with India, adding that the army and other security institutions were rendering invaluable services for the country’s defence.

The chief minister said good governance and performance were essential to tackling internal security threats. “We are Pakistanis first, regardless of whether we belong to Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan or Gilgit,” she said, stressing the need for continuity in national policies.

Credits PML-N’s extended rule over Punjab for ensuring policy continuity, leading to better governance; Azma says policies should not be sacrificed to ‘political changes’

Building on her argument for political continuity, CM Maryam said governance standards had improved because the PML-N had remained in government in the province for longer periods. She also claimed that terrorism had been brought under control in Punjab, but acknowledged that the threat had not disappeared, adding that the provincial government remained prepared for any possible attacks.

The chief minister said the province previously had around 70 areas regarded as “no-go areas”, but claimed that there was no such area now.

“I am responsible for the safety of 140 million people, so I had to take decisions that had not been taken before,” she said.

Referring to criticism of her government, CM Maryam said there were occasions when she had to choose between “protecting myself or protecting the people”, adding that she had always prioritised the public.

The chief minister said she had no personal grievances against anyone, and did not seek credit for herself. “I ensure 100 per cent merit in Punjab, and neither accept recommendations nor do people now approach me with recommendations,” she said.

Listing her administration’s ‘achievements’, she said the government had strengthened security infrastructure, particularly in border areas, by establishing fortified posts and providing weapons and night-vision cameras. She also highlighted round-the-clock surveillance to detect terrorist activity.

The chief minister said the Punjab government had established separate groups for administration and law and order and that special attention was being given to crimes against women and children.

She said the government had dismissed around 1,000 police and revenue officials as part of measures against corruption and claimed that sustained action had created a fear of the law among officials demanding or accepting bribes.

The chief minister said the government had established virtual police stations for women unable to visit police stations, particularly victims of domestic violence, claiming that hundreds of thousands of cases had been dealt with through the system.

In a subsequent statement, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari also stressed the importance of policy continuity, saying that CM Maryam’s “clear stance is that governments may change, but the national vision and policies aimed at public welfare should not change”.

She insisted that the country’s development was not the responsibility of any single province, government or political party; rather, it is a shared responsibility of all. “Policies formulated for the country’s development and public welfare should not be sacrificed to political changes.”

Ms Bokhari said that if a policy introduced today is abandoned or changed tomorrow merely because of a political change, the country cannot move forward. “Pakistan needs a consistent national vision and continuity of policies instead of short-term political agendas,” she noted.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2026

District Police Officer Sadiq Baloch told this scribe that terrorists belonging to the Fitna al-Khawarij carried out drone attacks on the Jhangi and Lakhani pickets of the Wahowa Police Station.

The terrorists dropped three bombs from a drone on the Jhangi check post, one landed on the roof and two outside. Similarly, two bombs were dropped on Lakhani, one landing on the rooftop and the other in the courtyard.

The police personnel responded promptly and foiled the attack, averting major damage.

One employee was slightly injured in the attack on the Lakhani check post, the DPO stated and added that the terrorists fled after police retaliated.

A police search operation is going on in the area following the incident.

Published in Dawn, October 3rd, 2026

In a letter seen by Dawn, Chaudhry Nadeem Qasim, additional director general for local government elections, forwarded the draft schedule to the Punjab chief secretary on the commission’s behalf.

He also sought the provincial government’s opinion on the proposed timelines so that a final schedule could be notified after approval from the ECP.

According to the proposed schedule, nomination papers will be filed from Oct 27 to 30, while scrutiny will be conducted from Nov 2 to 5. Appeals against acceptance or rejection of papers can be filed from Nov 7 to 11, and will be decided by tribunals between Nov 12 and 16.

As per the letter, the last proposed date for withdrawal of candidature is Nov 18. The final list of candidates will be displayed on Nov 19 and election symbols will be allotted on Nov 20.

Polling is proposed for Dec 14, with returning officers to announce results by Dec 17, the letter said.

The letter also referred to a consultative meeting held on Aug 20 between the ECP and a provincial cabinet committee on the announcement of the poll date. It is worth noting that during the meeting, the ECP had agreed to the provincial government’s proposal to hold polls between Dec 15 and Jan 15, 2027.

On Aug 6, the Punjab cabinet had approved an allocation of Rs12.5 billion for holding local government elections in the province.

The last local government elections in Punjab were held in 2015 under the Punjab Local Government Act, 2013. Polling took place in phases between Oct and Dec 2015, and elected councils assumed office in 2017 after indirect elections for mayors and chairpersons. Since then, local body polls in Punjab have experienced repeated delays.

The PTI government had dissolved the elected local bodies in April 2019 before they completed their tenure. The move was later struck down by the Supreme Court, which restored them. They eventually completed their term on Dec 31, 2021.

Successive provincial governments repeatedly amended or replaced the Punjab Local Government Act. Each legislative change required the ECP to restart preparations, including delimitation and election planning. Changing laws and administrative delays by successive governments contributed significantly to the postponement of the local body elections.

Under Article 140A of the Constitution and the Elections Act, local government elections should be held within 120 days of the expiry of local bodies. Since the councils’ term ended in Dec 2021, elections were due by April 2022 but they have been repeatedly postponed.

In the past few years, air pollution has become one of the most pressing public health and environmental crises facing Pakistan. Various cities of the country, most notably Lahore, deal with smog, especially in the winter months. The phenomenon is attributed mainly to industrial emissions, vehicular pollution, stubble burning and air movement.

Lahore topped the list of the most polluted cities on Friday morning, with an air quality index (AQI) of 167, according to the IQAir live tracker, falling under the ‘unhealthy’ category, closely followed by Bangladesh’s Dhaka at 164 and Egypt’s Cairo at 158.

Later in the day, Lahore’s ranking in the list of the world’s most polluted cities dropped to 10th, with an AQI of 149 at 2:00pm.

The provincial capital was the only Pakistani city ranking in the top 30 most polluted cities on Friday morning. The only other Pakistani city in the 125-city list was Karachi at 34th place with an AQI of 69, on Friday morning.

Later in the day, Karachi moved up a few spots to number 23 with an AQI of 75, as of 2:00pm.

According to IQAir, in Lahore, “PM2.5 concentration is currently 15.2 times the World Health Organisation annual PM2.5 guideline value”.

PM2.5 refers to fine inhalable particles, with diameters generally 2.5 micrometres and smaller. Of all air pollution measures, PM2.5 pollution poses the greatest health threat, according to IQAir.

According to the website, PM2.5 can enter the circulatory system and even the brain, causing serious health complications if long-term exposure occurs.

For those in Lahore, IQAir recommended avoiding outdoor exercise, closing windows to avoid outdoor air, wearing a mask outdoors and installing an air purifier indoors.

Meanwhile, in a televised address to senior officers in Lahore on Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said the provincial government was making efforts to address environmental issues.

For the past eight years, she said, Lahore as well as some parts of Punjab would undergo a “smog shutdown” in September and October

“For three years now — I won’t say there is zero smog, but — there is less smog,” she said.

In January this year, Lahore was ranked as the most polluted city globally by IQAir with an AQI of 452. Earlier this week, a new analysis released by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) ranked Lahore among cities whose ozone levels were “extremely poor”.

During the last 24 hours, two passenger trains, Shalimar Express and Pakistan Express, narrowly escaped from major accidents after derailment while a third minor accident also occurred on Jaffar Express on the track near Gujar Khan.

According to reports, Lahore-bound Shalimar Express (27-Up) entered the loop line, hit the sand hump and finally derailed after the braking system didn’t work, making the driver unable to stop the train in the wee hours of Thursday. However, luckily all passengers and crew remained safe as only a couple of coaches and the locomotive faced derailment.

Officials said the teams in a relief train reached the site quickly from Lahore Cantt Railway Station, detached the coaches, including locomotive, from the derailed ones and despatched the train from Lahore for Karachi around two hours late from the actual departure time of 7:10am.

Third also faces minor issue; series of derailments expose systematic flaws in railways

“On receiving information, we dispatched the relief train and the officials/officers concerned for carrying out a relief operation amid shifting the passengers to Lahore and other rescue activities,” an officer concerned of PR Lahore Division explained while talking to Dawn.

“Our teams worked whole night, making the operations staff able to dispatch the train for Karachi with a delay of not more than one-and-a-half hours on Thursday morning,” he claimed.

“Our teams also made the affected locomotive fit for operation on Thursday evening,” he added.

In another incident late on Wednesday, a power van of the Karachi-bound Pakistan Express (46-Down) derailed near Kharian on the mainline but again there was no major accident fortunately. “Had this power van, which was the last one in the rake, existed in the centre, the entire train would have fallen down after the horrible derailment,” the official said.

According to him, the power van, after the derailment, disconnected from the rake with separated wheels and parts and there was a gap of around 1.5km between the train and the van. The driver stopped the train and informed the railway authorities in Rawalpindi division about the incident. The rescue teams finally dispatched the train with a new power van and removed the affected power van from the track.

According to the official, a third incident happened on Thursday after the Quetta-bound Jaffar Express’s power van derailed near Gujar Khan, forcing the railway officials to rush to the spot and dispatch the train after separating the derailed van from the rake and connecting the new one with it.

“However, it was not the dangerous derailment like the aforementioned ones,” he said, adding that these recent incidents also caused disruption to the PR’s train operation.

When contacted, PR Chief Executive Officer Hafeezullah confirmed the accidents, saying that they happened due to lack of maintenance in the last five years.

“You will see that improvement will start appearing soon as we have undertaken a series of the maintenance that remained deferred for the last five years,” he claimed.

About a month back, Yousafwala coal train had derailed near Firoza Railway Station (between Khanpur and Liaqatpur) after it ran into the sand hump on the loop line, apparently due to weak brakes or the driver not applying brakes timely. Eleven wagons of a goods train, along with its locomotive, derailed near Feroza Railway Station of tehsil Liaqatpur.

The same day, a passenger train (Rawal Express) derailed near Kala Gujran in Jhelum district on the Main Line-1 (Lahore-Rawalpindi track), disrupting the railway operations.

Since July this year, about 10 train derailment accidents have happened.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026

The motion submitted by treasury member Ahsan Raza Khan levels serious allegations against Lesco officials, including extortion of Rs150,000 from an area resident on the pretext of removing high-tension wires, and resorting to arm-twisting tactics when the work remained incomplete.

According to the document, Lesco officials allegedly filed false electricity theft cases against consumers, which were subsequently disproved by police video evidence, and disconnected the power supply to their homes.

The motion also highlighted widespread complaints regarding extortion by Lesco officials for transformer repairs, delayed meter replacements and up to 18 hours loadshedding daily. Mr Khan alleged that an unbridled corruption network, extending from linemen to top executives, was responsible for these ills.

Voicing concern during an informal media interaction at the Governor House, Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan condemned the recent Lesco raids in Kasur as illegal, citing reports of harassment, violation of privacy and collective power disconnections punishing entire villages over line losses.

Expressing concern over the plight of the flood-affected residents facing excessive billing and demands for bribes for bill corrections, the speaker said he has raised the issue with Federal Power Minister Awais Leghari and will also take it up with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Criticising the utility officials for remaining confined to their air-conditioned offices, Mr Khan stressed that collective punishment over line losses or individual power theft is unlawful.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026

According to a spokesman for Gujranwala police, a watchman, Ashfaq, had been arrested for allegedly raping a seven-year-old girl studying in the school where he was employed.

A court had granted the suspect’s physical remand to the Cantonment police.

The spokesman claimed that on Thursday a police team was taking the suspect somewhere for identification, when two men allegedly opened fire on the policemen to free Ashfaq.

He said that in the attackers’ firing, the suspect suffered critical bullet injuries and died on the spot. The attackers fled the scene, he added. The spokesman said police teams are looking for the fleeing attackers.

FIA CRACKDOWN: The FIA claims to have arrested 16 alleged human traffickers, including three women, during a crackdown in the region.

A senior FIA official said that the suspects were allegedly involved in extorting Rs31.9 million from their clients on the pretext of sending them to Europe and the Middle East. He said the FIA arrested eight suspects in Gujranwala, five in Gujrat and three in Sialkot.

He said the two female suspects arrested by Gujranwala FIA circle – Aqsa Wazir and Sumaira Bibi – had allegedly received a sum of Rs6.5m from two brothers on the pretext of sending them to Italy. The complainant alleged that they neither fulfilled their commitment, nor returned the amount.

Similarly, he said, another suspect, Parveen Bibi, along with her husband, Ibtsham Ansaar, allegedly received Rs2.9m from a man to “send him to Luxembourg” but did not fulfill the commitment.

The FIA’s Sialkot circle also arrested a suspect for receiving Rs6.6m to send a youth to Canada on study visa.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026

Saba Kanwal was in wireless control room of the police station when she made the suicide bid by consuming sleeping pills. The station house officer (SHO) and other colleagues immediately rushed to the scene and found Kanwal and shifted her to hospital in critical condition. She was provided with immediate medical treatment and was later discharged from the hospital.

Earlier, a video statement of Kanwal also surfaced in which she was seen alleging that her parents had forcibly married her off to her paternal cousin against her will where she was brutally tortured. She received death threats from her husband and in-laws. According to Kanwal, she decided to return to her parents’ house for her safety but she faced insecurity from her brothers also. The lady constable requested the Punjab government not to hand over her body to her family in case of her death.

According to SDPO Khanpur Shahid Nazir, the lady constable had been temporarily transferred to the police headquarters.

He said the police were handling the matter with extreme caution as per Kanwal’s wishes and consent.

Police sources claimed that Kanwal had not reported any mental or physical torture or harassment on any official platform in the past.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026

Most districts received exceptionally high rainfall during the season, with Rawalpindi recording the highest total of 1,505 millimetres, the report said.

The rains also triggered a flood-like situation in parts of Sheikhupura district, where overflowing Nullah Bhed and Nullah Dek inundated 58 villages in Ferozewala and Muridke.

The flooding affected 83 revenue estates and 43,188 acres of land.

The PDMA spokesperson said measures were being taken to provide compensation for crop and housing losses caused by the flooding in Sheikhupura. Affected families would also be compensated for losses under the Punjab government’s policy, the spokesperson added.

The total rainfall in three major cities was also exceptionally high, with Rawalpindi receiving 1,505mm during the monsoon, Lahore 1,316mm and Sialkot 1,256mm. Gujranwala recorded 1,161mm, while Jhelum received 935mm, Gujrat 865mm, Mandi Bahauddin 810mm, Narowal 786mm, Murree 757mm, Attock 749mm, Wazirabad 741mm and Mangla 602mm.

Other rainfall totals recorded by the PDMA included 576mm in Okara, 524mm in Sargodha, 514mm in Faisalabad, 422mm in Sheikhupura, 402mm in Chakwal, 388mm in Hafizabad, 307mm in Kasur, 293mm in Nankana Sahib, 276mm in Bahawalnagar, 265mm in Noorpur Thal, 247mm in Mianwali, 236mm in Khushab and 197mm in Toba Tek Singh.

Rainfall was also recorded in Jhang, Chiniot, Jauharabad, Sahiwal, Pakpattan, Bahawalpur, Khanewal, Multan, Kot Addu, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rahim Yar Khan, Rajanpur and Vehari.

The report said Punjab did not experience major flooding in any of its rivers during the monsoon, although rising water levels in drains in Sheikhupura created a flood-like situation.

PDMA Director General Muhammad Saif Anwer Jappa said timely drainage of rainwater had been ensured despite the record-breaking rainfall.

He said that proactive arrangements were made for drainage operation and machinery was also provided on time.

He said that the injured had been provided medical treatment and measures would be taken to compensate families affected by deaths, injuries and damage to property and livestock.

The PDMA said continuous monitoring of rivers, dams and barrages was being carried out and water flows in all rivers of Punjab remained normal. A 24/7 monitoring system was also maintained at the PDMA control room, the report said.

Mr Jappa said the authority, in coordination with relevant departments, remained prepared to deal with emergencies and had taken measures throughout the monsoon to respond to rain-related incidents.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026

The complaint, addressed to the JCP secretary for placement before the chairperson and members, alleges that the law degree on the basis of which Bhoon entered the legal profession “may not be genuine and may be fake, bogus or otherwise incapable of lawful verification”. It asks the Commission to call for and independently verify the relevant original record.

The complaint does not explicitly use the words “recusal” or “suspension”; rather, it leaves the question of any interim arrangement to the Commission’s discretion.

The complaint requests verification of the institution from which Mr Bhoon claims to have obtained his qualifying law degree, along with the year of admission, period of study and date of graduation.

It also seeks verification of his original deg­rees, transcripts, result cards and registration records; independent confirmation from the degree-awarding institution; verification from the HEC; his complete enrolment record with the concerned provincial bar council and the PBC; and the dates and basis of his enrolment as an advocate.

Mr Bhoon has reportedly served a Rs5bn defamation notice on Mr Safdar.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026

The chief justice was hearing a contempt of court petition filed by a citizen, Muhammad Ismail, over alleged non-compliance with a 2024 court’s directive to decide his application within 30 days.

Following a court’s notice, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Dr Usman Anwar appeared and explained that the application had been filed in 2024 and the NCCIA was subsequently established as a separate agency. He said the application in question related to the NCCIA.

“Tell me the date when the NCCIA came into existence,” the chief justice asked the FIA director general.

The chief justice observed that several such applications might have remained pending, including those filed by citizens who could not approach the courts. Dr Anwar said the agency had computerised its data and was working to clear pending applications, adding that the NCCIA had initially been established without its own building.

The DG said the petitioner’s complaint would be decided whenever he appeared. The chief justice remarked that the complainant should not be “managed” to have the petition withdrawn from the court.

Dr Anwar assured the court that this would not happen and that its orders would be complied with.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd, 2026

The operation is being conducted as part of the province’s pre-smog preparations, with night teams keeping watch over suspected stubble-burning areas while drone surveillance is being used to identify pollution sources and pinpoint the locations of violators. Once a source is identified, field enforcement teams are dispatched to take action.

Punjab EPA DG Abdullah Nayyer Sheikh has directed field formations to maintain close surveillance of pollution sources and ensure prompt action against violations. The strategy combines night-time monitoring, drone technology and ground enforcement to detect activities that could add to Punjab’s pollution burden during the smog season.

During the past 24 hours, EPA teams inspected 431 brick kilns across Punjab. Five kilns were demolished, nine sealed and nine FIRs registered, while fines totalling Rs1.4 million were imposed.

Teams demolish five kilns, seal nine and impose Rs1.4m in fines in 24 hours

The crackdown on industrial pollution also remained active, with 269 industrial units inspected, 11 units sealed, one FIR was registered and Rs1.23 million in fines was imposed.

The department also conducted 309 inspections against plastic-related violations. Seventeen sites were sealed and 1,297 kilogrammes of plastic confiscated, while Rs148,000 were imposed as fines. Lahore alone accounted for 39 inspections, 15 sites being sealed, 30kg of plastic confiscated and Rs60,000 imposed as fines.

Construction-related fugitive dust was also targeted, with 17 sites inspected, one sealed and two other enforcement actions recorded. Fines of Rs20,000 were imposed.

The EPA further continued inspections of establishments for compliance with suction-hood requirements. Across Punjab, 245 inspections resulted in 34 seals and 55 suction-hood-related enforcement actions, with Rs211,500 in fines imposed.

Lahore accounted for 24 inspections, nine seals, two suction-hood actions and Rs135,000 in fines.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026

He was speaking at a gathering at the Islampura locality of Allahabad in Chunian on Wednesday.

Earlier, six villagers of the area were booked for torturing a Lesco official during a crackdown on defaulters and power theft. Later, Lesco disconnected power supply to the residences of the five accused in the FIR.

Speaking to the gathering, the speaker claimed that the injured Lesco official had taken Rs150,000 from a resident, nominated in the FIR, for removing high tension wires from in front of his house. However, the official was reluctant to do the job.

He claimed that a subsequent police inquiry proved the FIR to be fake. He said the accused residents were not even present at the time of the incident, which was proved by the videos presented by both Lesco and the accused. He regretted that Lesco high-ups were glorifying a corrupt official.

He claimed that growing complaints of extortion in the name of transformer repairs, over-billing, delayed replacement of faulty meters and other billing frauds had made the life of consumers a hell.

He alleged that Lesco officials demanded hefty bribes for removing overhead high tension wires, which had taken lives of residents and their livestock as well as damaged properties. He alleged that all Lesco officials, from a lineman to the Lesco chief, were involved in corruption and exploitation of consumers.

Mr Khan said that tall claims by the sitting rulers, including PML-N Chief Nawaz Sharif and PM Shehbaz, to end loadshedding were mere slogans as people were still facing up to 18 hours of loadshedding. He vowed to fight against Lesco’s ‘corruption and exploitation’.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026

PARIS: Highlighting the close relationship between climate change and air pollution, a new analysis by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) has ranked Lahore among cities whose ozone levels are “extremely poor”.

Heatwaves and wildfires combined with human-caused emissions this year to expose one third of the world’s population to extremely high levels of ozone pollution, said the report, released on Wednesday.

When heat and sunlight react with airborne emissions from wildfires, vehicles and industry, they create ground-level ozone pollution. At this level, ozone is harmful to human health, ecosystems and crop yields.

Yet, when this air pollutant is high above the Earth’s surface in the stratosphere, it has a positive effect, protecting life against harmful ultraviolet radiation.

New EU analysis finds one-third of world population exposed to harmful air pollution

Despite progress in cutting the most harmful air pollutants in recent decades, ozone has proved more difficult to tackle as climate change fuels the conditions that favour its formation.

This year’s ozone pollution was driven in part by record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires that seared Europe and North America and sent smoke well beyond their borders.

Indonesia has experienced major wildfires, while the warming El Nino weather pattern, which started in June and is due to peak later this year, could drive more fires in southeast Asia, according to the analysis.

“Air pollution does not stop at borders. It can travel thousands of kilometres, crossing continents and oceans and affecting air quality far from its source,” CAMS director Laurence Rouil said in the Atmosphere Watch report.

CAMS uses satellite data and computer models to track air pollution and wildfires.

The report found that 34pc of the global population was exposed to “extremely poor” air quality between January 1 and September 15, meaning concentrations of ozone were well above the World Health Organization’s exposure guidance.

The WHO’s guideline sets 100 micrograms of ozone per cubic metre as the maximum recommended level of exposure, averaged over eight hours.

Another 17pc of the world breathed “very poor” air, while 5pc was exposed to “good” levels of ozone.

Asia has the highest rate of exposure to ozone pollution, with 53pc of its population breathing “extremely poor” air. Another 22 percent was exposed to “very poor” ozone.

The continent’s widespread emissions are driven by industrialisation, economic development and transport, as well as wildfires and the burning of agricultural residue.

New Delhi, Dhaka, Chinese megalopolis Chongqing and Pakistan’s Lahore were among cities whose ozone levels were “extremely poor”.

Two thirds of the population in North Am­­erica and 45 percent in Europe were exposed to “poor” or “very poor” air quality.

EU regulation has been effective in reducing emissions from air pollutants, except for ozone, the report said.

Ozone pollution is linked to 60,000 premature deaths per year in Europe, Ian Marnane, an official at the European Environment Agency, told a media briefing.

Ozone levels in North America also rem­ained “relatively unchanged” despite ambitious emissions reduction policies, the report said.

Smoke from forest fires, crop burning and cooking are significant contributors to Africa’s air pollution while Saharan dust travels as far as Europe.

Eight per cent of Africa’s population endured “extremely poor” air quality this year. It was “very poor” or “poor” for 19pc of the continent.

Ozone levels were very high in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo and extremely elevated in Rio de Janeiro but the air quality was “good” or “fair” for 81pc of South America’s population.

One bright spot was Oceania, including Australia and New Zealand, where 66pc of the population enjoyed “good” ozone levels and 34pc lived under “fair” conditions.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026

Reports said suspect Sher Afghan of Laal Warri village had shot dead a man in 2011 and later fled the country.

An official of Gujrat police said DPO Faisal Shahzad had tasked Saddar Gujrat Station House Officer Sub Inspector Raja Shehroz to get the suspect repatriated from abroad upon which the process was initiated.

The suspect is now in the custody of Gujrat police.

Meanwhile Gujrat police also claimed to have traced and arrested the suspects involved in the blind murder of a fruit kiosk owner as he was killed in an honour-related issue near Saroki bridge along Sargodha Road around a couple of months ago.

The suspects also include a married woman with whom the deceased had allegedly tried to develop relations.

A police spokesman said Muhamad Saleem had lodged a complaint with the industrial estate area 2 police station on Aug 1 last stating that his brother Mazhar Iqbal had a fruit kiosk at Saroki canal bridge stop. He said an unidentified biker came to make a deal for purchasing fruits for an event. However, the suspect later shot his brother dead and fled.

Police registered a case against unidentified suspects and started an investigation.

The police later traced and arrested suspect Falak Sher who revealed that his friend Ahmed who was settled in Saudi Arabia, had approached him that a man, Mazhar, had been trying to develop relations with his wife and asked the suspect to kill him.

As a result the suspect orchestrated the murder.

The spokesman said that a process had been initiated to get the suspect repatriated from Saudi Arabia.

ARRESTED: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed to have arrested 21 suspects involved in human trafficking and fraud cases during a crackdown across the Gujranwala region.

A Gujranwala FIA spokesperson said that the arrested suspects had been involved in financial scams of over Rs13 million. He said the arrested suspects included five proclaimed offenders and a deportee from Libya. The Gujranwala FIA circle had arrested 11 suspects while eight were arrested by the Gujrat and two by Sialkot circles.

He said that as per initial investigations, the arrested suspects had committed to send their clients to Italy, Greece, Spain, Germany as well as Turkiye, Canada, Saudi Arabia and Cambodia, but they neither fulfilled their commitment nor returned the money.

He said the Gujrat FIA circle also arrested one Tauqeer Hussain for changing his father’s name on the national identity card, whereas a deportee from Libya namely Rameez Ali had also been arrested. Another proclaimed offender, namely Kashif Naseer, was arrested for preparing fake documents for Turkish visit visas, he added.

The spokesperson said that the action against human trafficking networks would continue in the region.

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026

A major contributing factor is the provincial capital police’s low budget under the head of the cost of investigation. In most cases, they reportedly get bribe from complainant and defendant parties as expenses for ‘fuel for the official vehicles’ used during the investigation.

The situation became further complicated when the investigation officers allegedly stopped ‘paying money’ while the prosecution staff put forward lame excuses to the investigation officers that the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) system is not working properly.

A senior official, privy to the development, called the situation tricky for the Lahore investigating wing police, saying the matter had been taken up in recent meetings of the high command with no outcome so far.

The “fuel money” paid by complainants/accused is making the mare go

Overwhelming numbers, meagre funds

Referring to these meetings, he says the investigation police are massively overburdened with 165,000 cases registered in all 84 police stations of the city since January 2026 and almost all of them were pending for investigation.

On average, he said, 280,000 cases were registered annually in Lahore.

Unfortunately, he adds, the “Punjab government has provided Rs40 million under the head of investigation only against registered cases which is next to nothing compared to what is needed.”

About the massive gap between actual operational requirement and the allocated budget, he says in 2022, the then DIG Investigation Lahore Shahzada Sultan had demanded Rs867m but only Rs56m were sanctioned, leaving a shortfall of Rs811m and fuelling complaints of corruption.

“Now it is 2026, and this meagre amount of Rs40m for the Lahore police is nothing short of a joke, especially at a time when the Punjab government has launched a large-scale drive against corruption,” the official, who did not want to be named, says, implying that taking “fuel cost” is necessary for smooth functioning of the department.

According to him, Rs1bn is required annually as the cost of investigation for Lahore alone.

During the last two weeks, he says the police high command was informed during meetings that the ACE had arrested several police officials through trap raids, prompting them to slow down work on investigation of the registered cases as they were unable to bear the expenses on their own.

To a question, he says the expenses for investigation into a murder case ranged from Rs50,000 to Rs100,000, depending upon the sensitivity of the cases.

High-profile cases, more allocations

Citing another case which has increased significance of the budgetary requirements, the official says that then Punjab Police chief Dr Usman Anwar had managed to obtain a petty amount of Rs7m from the provincial government exclusively for the high-profile cases registered against leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) and the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in Lahore. The funds were to be disbursed among the IOs because these cases were of sensitive nature and they had incurred significant expenses.

“The thought-provoking matter was that this amount was also paid from the Lahore police funds reserved for the cost of investigation,” the official laments.

Despite high requirements, real-time allocations have historically languished far below targets, forcing individual IOs to absorb costs. As a consequence, the majority of the IOs have stopped working, saying that investigation costs are not being reimbursed to them as per the high expenses.

“If they don’t do the work, the police high command punishes them and if they do, they have to take bribe,” the official says.

Prosecution dept–another issue

The prosecution department, he says, acts as the legal representative of the state in criminal cases, serving as a vital bridge between the police, investigation agencies and the judiciary. The prosecutors examine first information reports (FIRs), case diaries and police investigation reports (such as final reports under Section 173 of the CrPC) to check for legal lacuna or missing evidence before a case goes to trial. The IOs allege that prosecutors won’t do anything unless they are paid and the amount ranges between Rs5,000 to Rs50,000 per case to clear the objections on the police reports.

DIG Investigation Zeeshan Raza confirmed to Dawn the investigation officials are facing serious issues, saying his department has moved a request to the Punjab government through the IGP for increasing funds under the head of cost of investigation.

He said the “increase in the budget is dire need of the time to steer the police out of serious crisis.”

Published in Dawn, October 1st, 2026

Approved by the Standing Committee on Human Rights and Minority Affairs, the bill — if passed by the assembly — would also raise the minimum legal age of marriage for both bride and groom to 18 years.

During the meeting, chaired by MPA Raheela Khadam Hussain, the committee greenlit the draft legislation aimed at repealing and replacing the colonial-era Christian Marriage Act of 1872 to modernise the legal framework governing Christian unions in the province. The bill was submitted to the committee in April.

Mover of the bill, Falbous Christopher, presented the draft before the committee, highlighting that the existing 154-year-old law sets the minimum age of marriage at 16 for males and just 13 for females.

Raising the age threshold to 18 years for both genders would reinforce protection against child marriages and ensure genuine free consent, he added.

Under the key provisions of the legislation, it would become compulsory for marriages among Christians to be registered with both the relevant union council and the Nadra, a facility currently absent under the 1872 framework.

The draft proposes mandating that both marrying parties belong to the Christian faith, while empowering ordained and religiously qualified pastors of churches registered with the Punjab government, as well as government-appointed marriage registrars, to solemnise marriages in accordance with Christian rites.

The bill would also establish procedural safeguards, including a requirement for prior written notice, public announcements of marriage, and the presence of at least two witnesses during the ceremony.

Furthermore, it would eliminate historical restrictions regarding specific times or days for holding wedding ceremonies and would require detailed marriage records to be maintained through standardised registers and prescribed official forms.

Speaking to media after the meeting, Christopher emphasised that the primary objective of the Christian Marriage Bill 2026 was to consolidate, clarify, and modernise personal law for the Christian community while safeguarding individual rights and consent.

Following the committee’s unanimous nod, the bill will now be laid before the full house of the Punjab Assembly, pending final enactment.

Six of these units would be dedicated for addressing issues faced by women, the statement quoted Punjab Home Secretary Ahmad Javed Qazi as saying during a briefing on the initiative.

“Under the operational framework, each mobile police station will be headed by a sub-inspector, supported by a field supervisor, a senior station assistant and male and female constables,” the statement said.

The relevant station house officer (SHO) and beat officer would remain present in the field to oversee operations in line with standard operating procedures (SOPs), it added.

The mobile units would deliver 14 key police services, ranging from the registration of first information reports (FIRs) and online e-tagging to tenant registration, employee verification and criminal record checks.

“Citizens lodging complaints for FIRs will be provided with an immediate online e-tag for subsequent tracking.”

They would also be able to report lost documents, such as national identity cards and chequebooks, directly through these units, it said.

“Additionally, the mobile stations will facilitate the public in obtaining character certificates alongside [providing] comprehensive driving licence services, including the issuance of learner permits, renewals, duplicate licences and international driving permits.”

The statement said the vans would visit universities and women’s colleges according to a fixed schedule and “further deployment will be dynamically mapped based on real-time crime data and calls received on the emergency police helpline 15”.

“To ensure public awareness, the itinerary of the vans will be disseminated via social media platforms, supplemented by local announcements from neighbourhood mosques prior to a unit’s arrival in a specific area,” it added.

The statement said that senior station assistants would manage all IT operations, digital database entries, and online tracking while constables would assist in guiding visitors.

As CM Maryam inaugurated the service, she inspected one of the newly launched units, reviewed its operational capabilities and interacted with the on-duty personnel, it added.

“This initiative will help bridge the divide between the public and the police while saving citizens valuable time and travel expenses, especially those residing in far-flung and underserved areas,” the statement quoted her as saying.

She added that specialised staff had been assigned to the ‘Pink Mobile Police Stations’ to handle sensitive cases involving harassment, domestic violence, and offences against women and children with empathy and privacy.

Lahore celebrated the Basant festival earlier this year from Feb 6 to 8 after an 18-year hiatus.

The festival was banned in 2007 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.

During a meeting, the chief minister directed the authorities to make arrangements for the 10-day celebration, according to a statement released by the government.

She described the festival as a gift for the people of Lahore to mark the arrival of 2027 and as a means of promoting Punjab’s cultural heritage and the historic traditions of the provincial capital.

Under the schedule approved by the chief minister, Basant festivities will begin on Jan 29 and continue until Feb 7. However, celebrations will remain suspended on Feb 5 to observe Kashmir Day.

“Ten-day Basant will promote Punjab’s cultural colours and Lahore’s centuries-old traditions across the world,” CM Maryam was quoted as saying.

According to the statement, the chief minister directed the administration to ensure better arrangements for public safety and convenience than those made during the previous festival.

She also appealed to citizens to celebrate responsibly, saying the authorities and the public should set a new example through a sense of duty, responsibility and commitment to protecting human lives.

CM Maryam directed the relevant departments to begin preparations well in advance and ensure that the extended festivities did not compromise public safety, the statement said.

She stressed that the success of the 10-day event would depend on strict adherence to safety regulations and responsible behaviour by citizens.

“The chief minister said Lahore’s cultural identity and traditions should be promoted while ensuring that celebrations remained safe and convenient for residents and visitors,” the statement concluded.

In August, CM Maryam announced that the festival would be held from Mar 12 to 14, 2027. However, in the latest announcement, the government has revised the schedule.

The Punjab government, in May, had also announced a new set of rules and regulations for kite-flying during next year’s Basant festival.