Punjab | Pakistan

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority has issued a province-wide alert warning of a significant rise in temperatures across Punjab, with extreme heat expected in the coming weeks.

Azma Bokhari has said that the Punjab government’s “Apna Khet Apna Rozgar” programme is a major step toward strengthening both agriculture and the provincial economy.

The Punjab Home Department has extended the enforcement of Section 144 across Punjab, maintaining a ban on the use of drones in open areas for an additional 30 days.

LAHORE: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday forecast hot and dry weather across most districts of Punjab on Sunday and warned that temperatures might remain above normal, particularly in the central and southern plains. According to the latest weather outlook, a shallow westerly wave that previously affected upper parts of the country has weakened, leaving little chance of rain. As a result, dry and humid conditions are expected to dominate across the province. The PMD said that unlike Saturday — when isolated areas such as Kashmir, Murree and the Galliyat experienced partly cloudy weather with chances of light rain — Sunday will see no significant rainfall even in these upper areas. This shift indicates a further increase in heat intensity. In plains, especially across central and southern Punjab, daytime temperatures are expected to remain 3 to 5 degrees Celsius above normal, adding to the discomfort citizens already facing due to rising heat levels. Recent weather data highlights the i...

LAHORE: Punjab will export livestock and meat as the provincial government on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with seven institutions, including a Chinese company, for the purpose. A video link meeting in this regard was presided over by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Under the agreement one million livestock will be exported. The meeting was informed that China’s Global Meat Company would install a boiler unit in collaboration with the government-owned Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company in the province. “The boiler unit will prepare boiled meat on a large scale for export. Meat companies will import the meat of 300,000 animals ready for export. A target is set for fattening 300,000 buffaloes and cows, and 300,000 sheep and goats. Some 100,000 goats and sheep will be raised for export.” “The state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals will be established in every tehsil of the province. Four mobile veterinary dispensaries will operate in each tehsil to provide door-to-door animal treatment.” The ...

LAHORE - Punjab will export one million livestock following Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) signed with seven entities, including a Chinese global meat company, under initiatives led by Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif.

The Lahore High Court has issued a notification announcing the transfer and appointment of 18 session judges across Punjab, following approval from Chief Justice Aalia Neelum.

The Government of Punjab has unveiled plans to introduce an e-bike scheme for teachers, aiming to provide an affordable and efficient commuting solution across the province.

Federal and provincial health authorities have confirmed the presence of the mpox clade 1b variant in parts of Sindh and southern Punjab, raising concerns due to its higher transmissibility and potential severity.

LAHORE - A new phase in railway transport has been set in motion in Punjab following the signing of a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the provincial government and Pakistan Railways, aimed at upgrading services and expanding connectivity across the province.

A special meeting chaired by Maryam Nawaz Sharif reviewed progress on Punjab’s public transport initiatives, with a focus on expanding electric mobility across the province.

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued on Wednesday the schedule for the delimitation of union councils in Punjab, taking a significant step towards holding long-delayed local government elections in the province. Delimitation is the legal prerequisite for holding local government polls. Once the final list of constituencies is published, the ECP will be in a position to announce the election schedule for Punjab’s local bodies. The ECP laid out a seven-step timeline to complete the delimitation exercise by August 10 in a notification issued under Article 222(b) of the Constitution and relevant sections of the Elections Act 2017, Punjab Local Government Act 2025, and Delimitation Rules 2026. According to the schedule, all administrative arrangements for the delimitation of union councils are to be completed by April 16. The preliminary list of constituencies is to be prepared from April 20 to May 21, and it will be published on May 25. Objections over delimitation can be filed from May 26 ...

LAHORE: Widespread loadshedding has been reported in urban and rural areas across Punjab as distribution companies (Discos) grapple with an increasing gap in supply and demand. The situation is reported to be worse in rural areas, especially those covered by the Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco), where, at present, discos are observing loadshedding on an hourly basis and up to 16 hours in some areas. “We cannot even sleep at night due to the loadshedding being observed by Mepco these days,” said Imran, a villager in Muzaffargarh district. “We are experiencing 12 to 16 hours of loadshedding almost daily,” he said, complaining that the Mepco area office had no words to justify their position. Tahir, a villager from Khanewal district’s Kabirwala area, said that loadshedding was being observed for up to six to eight hours in his area. “This has started all of a sudden, as the situation was not bad five to six days ago,” he said. “We are experiencing loadshedding for four hours daily these days in our urban ar...

A survey conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research has reflected a largely positive public perception of the two-year performance of the Punjab government.

LAHORE/ MOHMAND: Heavy rains and storms in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past 24 hours have left at least five people dead and several others injured, officials said on Wednesday. In Punjab’s Bhakkar, two separate roof-collapse incidents left one person dead and four others injured, a Rescue 1122 spokesperson said. In a separate incident, two people were injured when a house roof caved in due to rainfall in Khanewal, while in Muzaffargarh, two individuals sustained injuries in separate incidents —one from a roof collapse and another from slipping in the rain. In Sargodha, the wall of a house collapsed, injuring one person and killing a livestock animal, a rescue official said. In the district of Taunsa, five people were injured when a hotel shed collapsed. In two other incidents in the same area, roof collapses left one person dead and two others injured. In another incident, a person died after receiving an electric shock from a pole in Toba Tek Singh, and in Chiniot, one person was injured in a sli...

The Government of Punjab has decided to launch free transport services in 17 districts across the province as part of efforts to provide relief to the public.

Authorities in Punjab have continued the process of deporting illegal foreign residents, officials said on Friday, adding that tens of thousands have been repatriated so far.

Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has said that every moment of his tenure is dedicated to the people of Punjab, as he chaired a meeting to review progress on the establishment of a new Nara Tehsil in Attock.

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Sunday predicted widespread rain and thunderstorms in northeast Balochistan, lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and south Punjab on April 6 (Monday). In a statement, the Met Office said, “Widespread rain-windstorm/thunderstorm (with isolated heavyfalls and hailstorm) is expected in northeast Balochistan, lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and south Punjab, while partly cloudy weather with rain windstorm/thunderstorm is likely at isolated places in Sindh, upper/central Punjab, south/central Balochistan, upper KP, Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir during evening/night of Monday.” The Met Office also issued a warning, saying there were chances of flash floods in local nullahs or streams in northeast Balochistan, lower KP and hill torrents of Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan on April 6 due to heavy rainfall. It said that landslides and flash flooding could also occur in local nullahs or streams of Kashmir, upper KP, Murree and Galiyat on April 7 and 8. “Windstorm/ hailstorm and lightning may damage wea...

ISLAMABAD: While rain and windstorms kill­ed at least six people across Punjab and Khyber Pakht­unkhwa, authorities have war­ned that the impact may worsen, with a fresh spell of rains forecast in the coming days across the country. The Met office forecast further rain, windstorms and thunderstorms across much of the country over the coming week due to a new western disturbance entering Balochistan and KP on Sunday evening and persisting until April 9. There are concerns about urban flooding, infrastructure damage and crop losses as well. In KP, four people died in Khyber district, while 12 others were injured in rain-related incidents, including six in Mohmand and three members of a family in Bannu after a roof collapse. Additional injuries were reported in Karak and Bajaur. Authorities issued a flood advisory for low-lying areas along the Kabul and Budhni rivers, where water levels reached a mid-level flood stage with a discharge of 12,729 cusecs. Rescue 1122 urged residents near streams and canals in areas...