Lahore | Pakistan

This particular column is based on my last trip to Lahore from Cambridge, where I am considered a ‘Lahore Specialist’. Just imagine!! Last month, the university further promoted and confirmed a ‘lifelong’ research position. I will not tell what it is named. The last time I flew in on our national airline trip, it was a disaster. Oh it was delayed several times with an unannounced departure. Not surprised. No wonder it was banned. The seats were reshuffled, disgraceful food quality, insipid tea (… most like cold tea, Sir!), the lights inside going crazy and snappy crew reassuring the aircraft will not crash. It was a delight to enter the dust-bowl skies of Lahore and the searing heat. For once, the Begum literally looked red. Before leaving for Lahore I visited a sub-continental eatery in Cambridge called ‘Dishoom’, which started pre-Partition in Bombay (Mumbai), then opened a branch in Karachi and then moved to London and finally to Cambridge. It is a Parsi-owned eatery and if you tell them that you are from ...

The three-day celebrations of the 982nd annual Urs of the great Sufi saint Hazrat Data Ali Hajveri (RA) began in Lahore on Wednesday under tight security arrangements.

LAHORE: Police claimed on Tuesday to have busted a gang involved in looting citizens through online taxi apps and arrested its four members. As per a handout, the gang had been operating by using fake ride-hailing apps to target passengers. According to details, a citizen was robbed of valuables worth millions of rupees after booking a ride on Jail Road, Lahore. The driver fled with the victim’s belongings. The victim quickly contacted Police Helpline 15. A virtual patrolling officer at Punjab Safe Cities Authority immediately traced the suspects’ vehicle using advanced surveillance cameras and AI-powered tracking systems. The data was shared with Lahore police, who swiftly apprehended the suspects. Upon arrest, police recovered vehicles, luxury items, weapons, and more than 200 SIM cards from the gang. Initial investigations revealed that the gang had been defrauding citizens by posing as drivers through fake taxi apps. Authorities have urged the public to use only authentic and reliable platforms when booki...

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Tuesday ordered the confiscation of properties owned by PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed a day after they were convicted in two May 9 cases. ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill on Monday sentenced the four PTI leaders to 10 years in prison in the cases pertaining to the Shadman police station attack and burning of police vehicles near Jinnah House. The court, however, acquitted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cases. Today’s hearing was also taken up by Gill, who ordered the confiscation of the convicted PTI leaders’ properties. The judge issued jail warrants for the leaders and handed them to the jail superintendent. In its verdict yesterday, the ATC had also fined Dr Yasmin, Chaudhry, Cheema and Rasheed Rs600,000. PTI leaders Aliya Hamza and Sanam Javed were sentenced to five years in prison in the Shadman case. In a separate development today, Judge Gill ordered the release of Qureshi in the two ...

Light rain and drizzle in various parts of Lahore on Tuesday brought a welcome change in weather, easing the recent spell of humidity.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Lahore on Monday acquitted PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi in two more cases related to the May 9 riots, while sentencing Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and Mian Mehmoodur Rashid to 10 years in prison. On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting party founder Imran Khan’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, following which thousands were arrested. The ATC had reserved its verdict in the two cases on Saturday related to the May 9 riots — the Shadman police station attack and burning of police vehicles near Jinnah House — after completing proceedings at Kot Lakhpat jail. The judge concluded the hearings inside the jail in two sessions during the whole day. ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill announced the judgments today and convicted Dr Yasmin, Chaudhry, Cheema and Rashid in both cases. PTI leaders Aliya Hamza and Sanam Javed were also sentenced to five years in prison in the Shadman case. Advocate Rana Mudassar confirmed today’s sentencing to Da...

LAHORE - An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore on Saturday reserved its verdict in two high-profile cases related to the May 9 incidents, the Shadman police station arson case and the burning of police vehicles near Rahat Bakery Chowk.

Pakistani security forces have downed an Indian drone in Lahore’s Manawan area, raising fresh concerns over cross-border surveillance activities.

Police on Friday seized an Indian surveillance drone in the Jandiala Road area of Manawan, Lahore.

A tragic accident near Akbar Chowk flyover in Faisal Town, Lahore, claimed the lives of a married couple who fell from the bridge while riding a motorcycle.

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Lahore Zone has detained five suspects involved in human trafficking, along with a main suspect linked to the 2023 Greece boat tragedy, ARY News reported. According to the FIA spokesperson, the suspects were arrested during combined raids in Lahore and Sheikhupura. In the FIA Lahore raids, the arrested suspects […]

Police personnel detained PTI protesters in Lahore and Karachi on Tuesday after party activists took to the streets to officially kick off a nationwide movement for the release of ex-premier Imran Khan, who has been in jail for two years now. Imran, imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023 in a case related to state gifts, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials in alleged terrorism cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots. Imran had issued a nationwide protest call, with a statement attributed to him saying that the “movement that begins on August 5 will continue until democracy is restored in its true spirit”. According to PTI leader Asad Qaiser, August 5 was the inception of the protest, but it should not be considered a “final call”. Lahore Deputy Inspector General (operations) Faisal Kamran told Dawn.com: “More than 30 PTI activists trying to block roads in different areas of the city were taken into custody.” He denied reports of the police arresting hu...

Police arrested several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and lawmakers, including Deputy Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Moin Qureshi and MPA Shoaib Amir, during a protest rally in Lahore on Tuesday held to mark the second anniversary of party founder Imran Khan’s imprisonment.

Torrential rains accompanied by strong winds swept through Lahore on Saturday, inundating low-lying areas and prompting local authorities to remain on high alert as the monsoon season intensifies.

In a major step toward environmental sustainability, the Punjab government, in collaboration with Pakistan Railways, has launched the Punjab Green Corridor project—a transformative initiative aimed at reducing pollution and improving the urban landscape of Lahore.

A Lahore court on Friday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Senate opposition leader and PTI leader Shibli Faraz as well as summoned his party’s founder Imran Khan in connection with a case involving an alleged attack on the Islamabad Police outside Khan’s residence in 2023. In March 2023, the Islamabad police lodged a first information report (FIR) against PTI founder Imran, party leader Faraz, along with 150 other party workers, for harassing and hurling life threats at an Islamabad police team when it visited Zaman Park in Lahore to arrest the former premier for skipping proceedings in the Toshakhana case. The FIR was registered by the Race Course police on the complaint of Islamabad Secretariat Station House Officer (SHO) Nadeem Tahir, who alleged that Imran, with the connivance of Faraz and 150 charged party workers, committed a crime by dodging and barring the Islamabad police from discharging their duty. Today, Judicial Magistrate Sohail Rafique, presiding over the case, ordered a non-bailable ar...

Funeral prayers for former Punjab governor Mian Muhammad Azhar were offered on Wednesday outside Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Heavy monsoon showers battered Lahore and its surrounding areas early Wednesday morning, leading to widespread urban flooding and disrupting daily life across the provincial capital.

The Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday acquitted PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi while sentencing Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and others to 10 years in prison over a May 9 riots case related to violence on Sherpao Bridge. Following the arrest of ex-premier Imran Khan on May 9, 2023, from the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) premises, riots erupted across the country and went on for at least 24 hours. Protesters vandalised and torched government buildings and military installations, while also breaking into the residence of the Lahore corps commander. The state subsequently launched a crackdown against him and his party, filing several other cases against Imran and party leaders since the events of May 9. Sarwar Road police had registered a case against PTI leaders and workers on charges of ransacking and burning public property at Sherpao Bridge in the Cantonment area during the violent protests. Advocate Burhan Moazzam Malik, the lead defence counsel, confirmed today’s sentencing to Dawn.com. He said ...

Following the introduction of the Orange Line train and electric buses, Lahore is set to add electric trams to its public transport system.