Day: July 11, 2026

Chiniot: Deputy Commissioner (DC) Ayesha Rizwan visited the Chenab River safety dam to review arrangements in view of a possible flood situation.

Accompanied by XEN Irrigation, she inspected the steps taken to strengthen the safety dam, safety arrangements, and other related measures, reported by correspondent.

On the occasion, XEN Irrigation briefed the DC on the current status of the safety dam, ongoing safety measures, sensitive locations, and arrangements made to deal with possible emergencies.

The DC directed concerned officers to ensure continuous monitoring of the safety dams and keep all necessary machinery, manpower, and resources ready at all times to respond to any threat promptly.

Ayesha said the district administration is fully alert to deal with a possible flood situation and the protection of citizens’ lives and property is the top priority.

She directed the concerned departments to maintain effective inter-agency communication and ensure swift, effective action in any emergency situation. In addition, the Deputy Commissioner, along with Assistant Commissioner Bhuwana Sheena Azam, XEN Irrigation, and other officers, visited the village of Sahambal. The village was affected by the previous flood and is prone to river erosion.

She took a detailed briefing on the current status and maturity of the five protective studs built in Sahambal and issued instructions to concerned officers regarding the strengthening of the studs and other protective measures in view of the possible flood situation.

Faisalabad: Police arrested four people involved in allegedly kidnapping a girl, here on Friday.

The accused were identified as Allah Rakha, Usman, Husnain and Asif.

According to police sources, they had kidnapped a girl named Aqsa with gold ornaments and cash.

Madina Town police traced the accused through scientific lines and held them.

A case has been registered against the accused and further investigation is underway.

Dera ismail khan: Police have arrested three women allegedly involved in house thefts in the Shorkot area of Dera Ismail Khan and recovered stolen cash amounting to Rs400,000, a police spokesman said on Friday.

According to the spokesman, the action was taken on the directives of District Police Officer (DPO) Dera Ismail Khan Ziauddin Ahmed. The operation was conducted by Station House Officer (SHO) Shorkot Aftab Alam Baloch under the supervision of SP City Muhammad Nauman and DSP Saddar Circle Muhammad Imran Kundi.

Police said the suspects, residents of Dera Ghazi khan were arrested following complaints that a group of women from Punjab had allegedly been visiting houses under the pretext of seeking alms and committing theft.

The spokesman said the police recovered Rs400,000 in stolen cash from the arrested women, who have been taken into custody. Further investigation is underway.

DSP Muhammad Imran Kundi urged citizens to remain vigilant and exercise caution when allowing unknown individuals into their homes, particularly those seeking alms, to help prevent such incidents.

Rawalpindi: The business community has welcomed the newly announced Automotive Industry Development and Export Plan 2026-31 framework, terming the 75 percent reduction in regulatory duties a major step toward lowering manufacturing costs and modernizing the domestic automotive sector.

In an exclusive interaction with reporter on Friday, President Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Usman Shaukat said that the business community highly appreciates the government focus on affordability, localization and environmental stewardship.

He noted that the simplified tariff structure directly addresses long-standing cost pressures, while extended financing options like seven-year loan tenures with a 15 percent down payment limit will significantly improve vehicle accessibility for middle-class buyers.

However, the president emphasized that the ultimate success of the framework depends on formally taking nationwide chambers on board before and during the implementation phase.

He explained that local manufacturers require complete predictability regarding the timeline and phase-in schedules for duty cuts, along with clearly defined local content thresholds to ensure the incentives drive genuine domestic localization rather than simple import substitution.

To a question, Usman added that while the target of 30 percent new energy vehicles by 2030 is highly commendable, achieving this transition requires seamless coordination among state regulators.

“Local manufacturers are fully prepared to invest in green technologies provided that the duty-free import of critical electric vehicle components is securely protected through aligned policies.

Multan: In compliance with standing instructions from provincial authorities, a team of agriculture department conducted raid on an illegal facility and seized fake agricultural chemicals worth over Rs 67.08 million in Multan.

According to an official release issued here Friday, the action was carried out on the directives of Punjab minister for agriculture Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani and secretary agriculture Iftikhar Ali Sahoo.

The raid was conducted by the Pest Warning and Quality Control of Pesticides wing under the supervision of it’s DG Dr Aamir Rasool and additional DG (South) Ilyas Raza. Deputy director Dr Abdul Rauf led the operation at an illegal warehouse and packing plant located at Plot No. 62-A, Industrial Estate, Multan.

Officials recovered 7,131.2 litres and 2,521.24 kilograms of counterfeit and expired pesticides with a total estimated value of Rs 67,084,250.

The department said expired pesticides were allegedly being repackaged into new containers with fresh labels before being prepared for sale in the market.

The inspection team collected 13 samples of different pesticide products for laboratory analysis, while all seized chemicals were handed over to the police as case property.

Agriculture department has filed a complaint against Harish Kumar, the owner of United Super Crops, and Taimoor Ali, the store in-charge, under the relevant provisions of the Punjab Pesticides Ordinance, 1971, for registration of a case at Muzaffarabad police station, Multan.

A spokesman for the Punjab agriculture department said strict action against those involved in the manufacture and sale of counterfeit and expired pesticides would continue without discrimination under the government’s zero-tolerance policy to safeguard farmers’ interests.

Sargodha: The Governing Body of the Sargodha Development Authority (SDA), chaired by Commissioner Sargodha Division Hafiz Shoukat Ali, on Friday approved the Authority’s annual budget of Rs 697.415 million for the fiscal year 2026-27 during its 29th meeting held at the Commissioner’s Office.

According to the SDA spokesperson here, the meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Sargodha Hussain Ahmad Raza Chaudhry, the Director General SDA, Director Development and Finance, representatives of the Finance Department and the Housing, Urban Development and Public Health Engineering Department, Deputy Director Local Government and Community Development, Chief Officer Municipal Corporation Sargodha, Chief Officer District Council, and other senior officials.

The meeting was informed that SDA expects to generate Rs 681.110 million in revenue during the fiscal year, while the total available resources will stand at Rs 697.415 million. Expenditures of Rs682.022 million have been proposed, leaving an estimated closing balance of Rs15.393 million at the end of the financial year.

Officials briefed the Governing Body that more than 85 per cent of the Authority’s projected revenue would come from real estate assets, including the sale of plots in the Model Town Housing Scheme, commercial shops in Trust Plaza, buildings, receipts from PHS, transport stand fees, and other sources.

Addressing the meeting, Commissioner Hafiz Shoukat Ali directed all concerned departments to ensure transparent, high-quality and timely execution of the development schemes included in the budget in accordance with the approved timelines.

He said the projects should contribute to modern infrastructure, improved urban facilities and better municipal services for the public.

The Commissioner said the Punjab government’s priorities, under the vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, include planned urban development, financial discipline, efficient utilisation of resources, enhanced revenue generation, transparent governance and the timely completion of sustainable development projects.

He added that the Sargodha Development Authority would continue working effectively to achieve these objectives.