Tag: Lahore

  • Chief Traffic Officer Amara Athar has good news for women

    Chief Traffic Officer Amara Athar has good news for women

    Amara Athar, the first woman chief traffic officer of Lahore, has announced good news for women.

    After taking over the post, she has asserted that the department’s priority will be to get more girls to ride motorcycles and increase the capacity of women drivers.

    Pointing out that traffic jams are a major problem in the city, Athar said that her aim is to improve traffic flow within limited resources.

    Who is Amara Athar?

    Amara Athar was appointed as the Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) of Lahore by Punjab government on December 12.

    The BS-19 police officer is the first woman police officer on central traffic control assignment in the provincial capital and the fourth woman police officer posted in Lahore.

    Dawn reports that according to an official, under Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar’s policy, female officers have been prioritised for field assignments to counter the “decades-old tradition of ‘male dominant’ policing in the province”.

    An official claims that while there were a number of male contenders for the top position of the Lahore traffic police, the IGP preferred a woman officer, especially after the outstanding performance of another female officer, Aysha Butt, who was posted as Gujranwala CTO who has reportedly bring about significant reforms in a short period since her appointment.

    Butt has built Pakistan’s first traffic theme park at Gujranwala with a long walking track that has traffic signs on both sides to create public awareness about traffic rules.

  • Motorways closed due to intense fog in Punjab

    Motorways closed due to intense fog in Punjab

    The season of blinding fog has officially arrived in Punjab, complete with signs of restricted movement.

    M-2 route from Lahore to Kot Momin, M-3 from Faizpur to Darkhana, M-4 from Shamkot to Pindi Bhattian, and M-5 from Sher Shah to Zahir Peer were closed due to low visibility, reports Geo.

    Routes between Lahore and Sialkot is closed due to heavy fog whereas a section between Gojra and Faisalabad is also blocked for the same reason.

    The situation of smog is also an added factor in low visibility all over Punjab where Lahore still stands at number two in the air quality index with very unhealthy levels of air.

  • Reuters report says smog increased paediatric patients in hospitals in Lahore

    A new report by Reuters reveals that as per estimates, there has been at least a 50 per cent rise in paediatric patients in Lahore hospitals due to respiratory issues caused by poor air quality.

    According to provincial health minister Dr. Javed Akram, hospitals are on high alert with extra beds and ventilators on standby for additional emergency cases.

    The UN children’s agency highlights that outdoor air pollution across the world contributed to 154,000 deaths of children aged below five in 2019. As for Pakistan, it is one of the top five causes of death among the entire population among whom young children and the elderly are the most vulnerable and severely affected.

    “Children are physiologically more vulnerable to air pollution than adults because their brains, lungs and other organs are still developing,” said UNICEF, further explaining that children breathe twice as fast as adults which increases their exposure to the pollutants.

  • What’s happening in your city this weekend?

    What’s happening in your city this weekend?

    Explore the lively spirit of Karachi with Jalebi Express’s Mix Plate City Tour, a Sunday morning ride on the iconic W-11 Karachi Mini Bus. From 8:30 am to 1:30 pm, discover the city’s rich culture, blending old and new aspects. Experience the charm and diversity of Karachi with Jalebi Express – turning every Sunday into an adventure!

    Mark your calendar for a night full of laughter as comedian Hashim takes the stage at Cafe Forex (Lahore) on December 9th. From 7 to 9 PM, join in for continuous comedy, promising an evening of hearty laughs with friends and family. Don’t miss this chance to relax and enjoy a Comedy Night that will leave you in stitches!

    Join us for an unforgettable day at BazaarFest 2.0, a unique event on December 9th, 2023, at Lahore Fort. Experience cultural fusion and futuristic fun with live performances, rhythmic dhamaal, futuristic light shows, food stalls, family-friendly shopping, and much more from 3:00 pm to 12:00 am. Don’t miss the Faris Shafi concert, Baeyyet dance, open mic sessions, pottery workshop, live graffiti, and experiential rooms!

    Support over 150 home-based women entrepreneurs at the Islamabad Women Gala on December 9th and 10th, 11 am to 9 pm, at Pakistan China Friendship Centre. Enjoy a vibrant family atmosphere with a kids’ arena, interactive activities, food court, magical show, Christmas corner, and a craft corner promoting inclusion and religious harmony. Join them for a festive and empowering experience!

  • Gang of foreigners arrested for looting Sikh family in Lahore, reveals Lahore Police

    Gang of foreigners arrested for looting Sikh family in Lahore, reveals Lahore Police

    Update: The Organi­sed Crime Unit (OCU) of the Lahore police in a press conference revealed that a gang of robbers who reportedly looted members of a Sikh family in Gulberg a week ago are citizens of a neighbouring country. However, they did not mention the country they belong to.

    OCU SP Aftab Phularwan told Dawn on Tuesday that the police examined over 1,000 private cameras to trace the suspects who were living at a rented house in a private housing society near Raiwind and the landlord had not got his tenants (suspects) registered with the local police station.

    He said the OCU arrested the ringleader of the robbers’ gang Shahrukh, his wife Rehana Shahrukh and a cousin Irfan, who were “citizens of a neighbouring country”.

    In reply to a question whether the suspects belonged to India, he said “not at all”, adding that it would not be wise to name the country.

    SP Aftab informed the media that the alleged robbers would conduct snatching bids with Sikh yatrees and inform a hostile agency to defame Pakistan. A uniform of a government institution was also recovered from their custody.

    Mr Phularwan said that the OCU recovered from the suspects’ possession a wireless set, a 9MM pistol and the car they used in the crime against the Sikh family. Requesting anonymity another police officer told Dawn that the criminals arrested by the OCU police were Persian-speaking.

    He said the suspects travelled to Karachi and almost reached there to finally flee to their native country after their crime in Lahore attracted the attention of Pakistani authorities, but OCU police traced the suspects through their mobile phone call records and arrested them.

    Meanwhile, the Indian Sikh family met with Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman at the Civil Secretariat and IG Police Tuesday and thanked the Punjab government for arresting the accused and recovering the loot. The Chief Secretary assured them that such an unpleasant incident would not happen in future.

    Previously, an Indian Sikh family headed by Kanwal Jeet Singh was looted by people dressed in police uniform on November 30 while they were shopping in Gulberg, Lahore. They were visiting Pakistan for the celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev’s birth anniversary. The robbers took away Rs400,000 cash and jewellery belonging to the foreigners, reports Dawn.

    Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi took notice of the incident, speeding up the investigation, claiming that the ringleader of the gang, identified as Ahmad Raza, has been arrested, while raids are being conducted for the arrest of other members of the network.

    The incident

    CCTV footage, collected by the police, showed two suspected robbers in a white car. They stopped the Sikh family on the pretext of checking their documents. One of the suspects was clad in a police uniform and the other was in plain clothes.

    They forced the Sikh pilgrims to produce their documents while sitting in their car, as per the CCTV footage. During checking, they snatched the woman’s bag that contained cash, jewellery, and other valuables.

    The family could be seen in the footage running after the suspects’ car after the incident.

    An FIR was registered as a case of fraud instead of robbery. The report further says that the robbers took with them 150,000 Indian rupees, PKR 300,000, jewellery, and valuable watches.

  • Awaam ka paisa artificial rain mein zaaya karne ki ijazat nahi dein ge, says Lahore High Court

    Awaam ka paisa artificial rain mein zaaya karne ki ijazat nahi dein ge, says Lahore High Court

    In today’s review of smog prevention in Lahore, Justice Shahid Kareem ordered that smoke-emitting factories be fined Rs10 lac each. Along with that he also warned the Punjab Government to not waste public money on any useless pursuit like artificial rain.

    The Director General Meteorological Department was present in the court to inform the judge that some of the sealed factories had opened themselves. Member water commission informed the court that such factories are working at night and the officers of the meteorological department are paid to stay silent on this. This prompted the court to issue a warning against these officers, reports Geo.

    The court ordered to fine domestic users Rs10,000 for wasting water and Rs20,000 thousand to commercial users for the same.

    The court also inquired about artificial rain and when it will materialize. The public prosecutor replied that the process is underway. The court admonished the government that public money should not get wasted in this pursuit.

    The court adjourned the hearing till December 8.

    As Lahore battles with hazardous levels of smog, Punjab has been planning artificial rain to dispel toxic pollution. The Punjab government has planned to carry out cloud seeding in Lahore to cause artificial rain, estimated to cost a whopping Rs 350 million. This was expected to happen in December.

  • Early-morning rain lessens smog in Lahore, Karachi takes over second spot

    Early-morning rain lessens smog in Lahore, Karachi takes over second spot

    Usually the most polluted city in the Air Quality Index, Lahore has been demoted to number six in the chart after a short spell of rain.

    The late-night and early-morning drizzle in the city has improved the air quality to the extent that the sky seems a bit clearer and the status of air quality has moved from hazardous to unhealthy with 158 particulate matter in the air.

    On the other hand, Karachi has taken over Lahore’s spot, landing at number two on the list, right behind New Delhi with a very unhealthy status of 268 particulate matter.

  • Nawaz Sharif free in Avenfield apartments reference

    Nawaz Sharif free in Avenfield apartments reference

    In a massive relief for the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), the Islamabad High Court (IHC) acquitted PML-N supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Avenfield reference on Wednesday.

    The verdict was announced by a two-member bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb.

    Nawaz Sharif was facing a 10-year jail sentence in the Avenfield properties corruption reference since July 2018, charged with owning assets beyond known income. An additional one-year sentence was imposed for non-cooperation with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), both to be served concurrently.

    Having been declared a proclaimed offender in two cases, Al-Azizia and Avenfield, in December 2020, Nawaz Sharif spent nearly four years in London on medical grounds before returning to Pakistan last month. Upon his return, he sought the restoration of appeals against his convictions, which had been dismissed for non-prosecution during his medical stay abroad.

    The second case against Nawaz was the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference, for which Nawaz Sharif received a seven-year jail term on December 24, 2018, accompanied by a fine of Rs1.5 billion and US$25 million. The decision for this case is yet to be taken. 

    The IHC restored these appeals in a decision last month, leading to today’s pivotal hearing. Nawaz Sharif’s legal counsel, Amjad Pervaiz, argued before the court, pointing out perceived loopholes in the Avenfield reference.

    Nawaz’s lawyer Amjad Pervaiz questioned the ownership of the properties, arguing that there was neither verbal nor documented evidence indicating Nawaz’s ownership. The defense emphasized the lack of evidence proving that Maryam Nawaz and other family members were under Nawaz’s patronage.

    Pervez argued that the NAB failed to prove any of the allegations against Nawaz Sharif. “The properties in question were acquired at different times, with some being acquired between 1993 and 1996. The appellant had no connection to these properties, and the prosecution did not clarify their relation to the properties in the reference.”

    He said that Wajid Zia, former DG FIA, admitted that there was no evidence to establish Nawaz Sharif’s connection to the properties. The charge sheet stated that the assets were not in accordance with declared assets.

    The court based the sentence on assumptions, and the decision was generally written without specific evidence. It was written that children are generally under the guardianship of their father, he said.

  • PPP gears up for seat adjustment and alliances

    PPP gears up for seat adjustment and alliances

    As general elections in Pakistan draw near, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has set its dialogue committee into action, assigning them crucial tasks related to discussions with other political parties and politicians.

    The committee has been mandated to schedule meetings with national and provincial figures to explore possibilities of seat adjustments in the upcoming polls slated for February 8 next year.

    Chaired by PPP Secretary General Syed Nayyar Hussain Bokhari, the committee convened on Monday, with PPP President Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Muhammad Bacha and PPP Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi in attendance.

    Qamar Zaman Kaira and Sajid Turi participated through video link.

    During the inaugural meeting focused on Punjab and KP, the committee delved into the overall political situation in the country and the upcoming elections.

    Bukhari, in the meeting, delegated responsibilities to committee members, tasking them with arranging meetings with key national and provincial political figures.

    The committee collectively resolved to organise separate negotiation committee meetings for each of the four provinces, aiming to forge alliances and discuss potential collaborations.

    The formation of the committee was approved by Asif Ali Zardari last week on November 25, with a well-planned strategy to engage in discussions with various political entities.

    According to a notification released on Saturday, a five-member committee formed for Punjab and K-P includes Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Faisal Karim Kundi, Muhammad Ali Shah Bacha and Sajid Toori.

    A two-member committee for Sindh includes Saeed Ghani and Syed Nasir Hussain Shah while a three-member committee for Baluchistan includes Changez Khan Jamali, Rozi Khan Kakar and Sabir Ali Baloch.

    This move comes in response to the efforts of the Nawaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to form alliances with political parties, particularly in Sindh, considered a PPP stronghold. PML-N members recently initiated talks on alliances and seat adjustments with Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) to counter the PPP’s influence in Sindh.

    Facing challenges in its historical stronghold, particularly with the formation of an anti-PPP coalition, the PPP aims to solidify its political position by actively seeking alliances and seat-to-seat adjustments ahead of the upcoming general elections.

  • Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar wants to rejoin PTI

    Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar wants to rejoin PTI

    Senior politician Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar is reportedly seeking a return to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as per Geo News.

    Having previously been associated with the PTI, Sarwar, currently the chief organizer of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), parted ways with Imran Khan’s party during last year’s no-confidence motion in April, leaving when Imran Khan was ousted from the prime minister’s office.

    In March this year, Sarwar joined the PML-Q in the presence of its president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain.
    In December 2021, Sarwar slammed Khan’s government by saying that the PTI had handed over everything to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    During the no-confidence motion, Sarwar, as the chief organizer of the PML-Q, defied Khan’s orders and explored the possibility of joining the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    However, this idea was rejected by PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, citing Sarwar’s earlier defection to the PTI after the failed 2014 sit-in led by Khan and Dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri.

    Sarwar joined the PML-Q in March of the current year, assuming the role of chief organizer.

    However, he has been residing in Scotland since several months, showing little interest in party affairs.

    Despite initial hopes of the PML-Q gaining prominence, especially without Parvez Elahi and Moonis Elahi, it appears that Jahangir Tareen and Aleem Khan’s Istehekam Pakistan Party (IPP) is currently the frontrunner.

    Sources reveal that Sarwar, for the past two weeks, has been reaching out to PTI leaders directly and indirectly, discussing his potential return to the party from his base in Scotland.

    A senior PTI leader disclosed that Sarwar had expressed a desire to rejoin the party, but the PTI has not responded to the overtures thus far.

    “The only person who can allow re-entry of Chaudhary Sarwar is Imran Khan but he has made it clear he will not forgive and forget those dozens of leaders who let him down in difficult times. Those who lobbied against Imran Khan and the PTI are not acceptable.”

    Chaudhary Sarwar wants to join the PTI again because his family members want to run for elections on the party’s tickets in Faisalabad, as there are no seats vacant in PML-N ranks and no other option, said a source close to Sarwar.

    The source also said that the senior politician’s son Anas, the Scottish Labour leader, also has an election coming up in Glasgow and there is a considerable Pakistani vote in the local constituency.

    Another source said that so far the PTI had not shown any interest in the offer and it had no time to even consider it given the circumstances the PTI was facing in Pakistan.

    When asked about efforts to rejoin the PTI, Sarwar didn’t deny it.

    He said: “All options are on the table. Discussions at various levels are ongoing. I have not made a final decision yet. I will make the final decision soon.”

    Sarwar joined PTI in 2015 after criticising Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif, days after resigning as the Punjab governor. However, he was appointed to the post for a second time once the PTI came to power in 2018.

    Sarwar’s allies said he was not happy as Punjab governor and didn’t like Usman Buzdar. He was sacked from the post around the no-confidence vote by the PTI government, with Omer Sarfraz Cheema being appointed as his replacement.