Day: July 9, 2026

Lahore: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday remanded two women in police custody for seven days in connection with an acid attack on a man who was allegedly planning to marry his ex-wife’s close friend after divorcing her.

ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gilll passed the order after the Kasur police produced the suspects, identified as Rimsha and Kiran Bibi, before the court.

The police stated that the complainant, Ahsan, had recently returned from Malaysia and allegedly intended to marry Kiran Bibi after divorcing his wife, Rimsha. The prosecution said Rimsha and Kiran, who are close friends, jointly planned the attack.

It said that Kiran Bibi threw acid on Ahsan at Rimsha’s instigation, causing severe burns to his face. It further stated that Kiran Bibi said that the victim had “ruined” her friend’s life through divorce and was now planning to marry her, prompting the two women to carry out the attack together.

The court granted the investigating officer seven-day physical remand of both suspects for further investigation.

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday paid tribute to the family of Burhan Wani, a prominent figure of the freedom movement in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), on the anniversary of his martyrdom, saying his sacrifice continued to inspire the Kashmiri people’s struggle for freedom and self-determination.

In a special message issued on the occasion, the chief minister described Burhan Wani as a true hero of the people of IIOJK, stating that his martyrdom had demonstrated the unwavering resolve of Kashmiris in their quest for freedom.

She said Pakistan would continue to raise the voice of the Kashmiri people and advocate their just cause at all international forums, reaffirming the country’s continued support for their right to self-determination.

CM Maryam Nawaz said the international community, particularly the United Nations, had both a legal and moral responsibility to fulfil its commitments by ensuring the implementation of the relevant UN resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir.

Expressing solidarity with the people of Kashmir, she prayed for lasting peace in the region and expressed the hope that the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir would soon attain freedom.

Lahore: Punjab Assembly (PA) Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan called on Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday and discussed the country’s overall situation in the prevailing global context, besides reviewing legislative affairs and major public welfare initiatives of the provincial government.

During the meeting, both sides agreed to strengthen coordination for the smooth conduct of proceedings in the Punjab Assembly and deliberated on legislative matters related to prison reforms.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the Speaker to ensure the effective participation of both treasury and opposition members in the legislative process, emphasizing the importance of inclusive lawmaking and parliamentary cooperation.

Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan appreciated the chief minister for presenting what he described as an outstanding policy at the National Paigham-e-Aman Committee. He also lauded the launch of the ‘Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar’ scheme and congratulated her on the successful balloting conducted under the initiative.

The chief minister termed the ‘Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar’ programme a collective achievement of the entire government team, saying the Punjab government was introducing new public welfare projects on a regular basis to improve the lives of citizens.

She said the government’s priority was now the development of neglected and underdeveloped areas, where electric buses were being introduced to improve public transport while modern agricultural machinery was being provided to strengthen the farming sector and enhance agricultural productivity.

CM Maryam Nawaz said the ‘Apna Khet, Apna Rozgar’ scheme had created opportunities for land ownership and sustainable livelihoods for 30,000 unemployed families, reaffirming the government’s commitment to economic empowerment and rural development across Punjab.

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday approved the launch of the ‘Apna Ghar, Mehfooz Ghar’ (My Home, Safe Home) programme under the existing ‘Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar’ initiative to improve housing safety across the province and prevent tragedies caused by unsafe residential structures.

The decision was taken during a special meeting chaired by the chief minister, which also approved expanding the scope of the government’s flagship housing programme by introducing two new loan categories. Under the proposed initiative, interest-free loans of Rs500,000 will be provided for repairing weak roofs and structurally unsafe houses, while interest-free loans of Rs1 million will be offered in easy installments for constructing an additional storey or floor.

The meeting reviewed progress on the ‘Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar’ and ‘Apni Zameen, Apna Ghar’ programmes. It was informed that interest-free loans had been approved for more than 180,000 homeless families, with loans already disbursed to 170,000 beneficiaries. The government has so far released Rs217.8 billion for the programme, while nearly 27,500 houses are in the final stages of completion.

The briefing further revealed that 134,343 houses had been completed across Punjab under the programme and more than 1.278 million applications had been received from homeless families seeking assistance.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the authorities to release the second instalment of housing loans within the next three days, saying that effective governance was demonstrated through practical action rather than statements during difficult times.

The meeting also approved the new Rs1 million loan category for constructing an additional floor and formally endorsed the Rs500,000 loan category for repairing damaged and unsafe roofs.

Officials informed the meeting that 2,000 residential plots had been distributed in 23 districts under the ‘Apni Zameen, Apna Ghar’ programme, while a report on rehabilitation and development work in these areas was also presented.

The CM directed that the process for obtaining housing loans be further simplified and ordered that the 2,000 families who had received free government plots should also be facilitated with loans for house construction.

She said that the Punjab government would support families in making unsafe, weak-roofed and dilapidated homes secure, stressing that ‘Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar’ and its allied initiatives were flagship welfare projects of the provincial government. She also directed that no additional financial burden should be imposed on low-income families and that there should be no changes to the existing eligibility criteria or procedures for obtaining housing loans.