Day: July 19, 2026

Rawalpindi: Two armed suspects riding a motorcycle were arrested after allegedly opening fire on a Dolphin Police team in the Gujar Khan area of Rawalpindi, while one of the suspects sustained injuries during the exchange of fire, police said on Saturday.

According to a police spokesman, the incident occurred when a Dolphin Police on patrolling signaled to stop two suspicious motorcyclists for routine checking.

Instead of complying with the police signal, the suspects allegedly opened fire in an attempt to evade arrest.

The Dolphin team responded promptly and, despite coming under fire, overpowered and arrested both suspects.

One of the accused, identified as Sami, sustained injuries during the encounter, while the other suspect was identified as Naveed.

Police recovered weapons and the motorcycle used by the suspects during the operation. The injured suspect was shifted to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.

Senior police officers rushed to the scene soon after being informed of the incident and supervised the operation.

City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Hassan Mushtaq Sukhera praised the Dolphin Police team for displaying courage and professionalism in confronting the armed suspects.

“Those who attack innocent citizens or police personnel cannot evade the law and will be brought to justice,” the CPO said.

A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway to determine the suspects’ involvement in other criminal activities, the police spokesman added.

Bahawalpur: Commissioner Bahawalpur Division, Irfan Ali Kathia, visited city areas to conduct a detailed inspection of the area’s sanitation and sewerage system.

He was accompanied by senior officials of the district management and officials from the Bahawalpur Waste Management Company (BWMC), the Buildings Department, WASA, and other relevant departments. During the visit, the Commissioner also inspected the condition of the Children’s Park and the sports ground in the colony and issued directives for their improvement.

Reviewing the sewerage situation, Kathia instructed the concerned authorities to complete the rehabilitation and restoration of the sewerage system in the city and the adjoining localities at the earliest. He announced that a mega sewerage project for Bahawalpur city will be launched soon, which is expected to significantly improve urban infrastructure and public services.

The Commissioner further directed the relevant departments to ensure that all necessary safety measures are taken to minimize inconvenience to residents during the execution of development work. He also instructed WASA and the Municipal Corporation to adopt a coordinated strategy to further strengthen sanitation services and improve the city’s drainage system.

Rawalpindi: Police have arrested two drug peddlers in separate operations and recovered more than 3.5 kilograms of drugs from their possession, a police spokesman said on Saturday.

According to the spokesman, the Wah Cantt Police held drug supplier and recovered 1.8 kg of hashish during an operation carried out within its jurisdiction.

In another operation, the Ratta Amral Police apprehended another supplier and recovered 1.7 kg of hashish from his possession.

Separate cases have been registered against the accused, while further investigations are underway.

The police spokesman added that Rawalpindi Police will continue operations against drug traffickers and would utilize all available resources to eradicate the menace of narcotics from society.

Bahawalpur: Commissioner Bahawalpur Division, Irfan Ali Kathia and Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur, Syed Hassan Raza inspected several e-bus waiting shelters across the city to review improvement in provision of facilities to citizens.

During the visit, they reviewed the overall condition, cleanliness, and available facilities at waiting shelters located at Bahawal Gymkhana, Library Chowk, Chowk Fawara, and other locations. Commissioner directed the concerned departments to complete repair work on all waiting shelters without delay. He instructed that dilapidated shelters be rehabilitated, repainted, and made fully functional so that commuters can remain protected from the sun, extreme heat, and other weather conditions while waiting for public transport.

He further emphasized the need to maintain high standards of cleanliness at all waiting shelters and directed officials to establish an effective maintenance system to ensure their long-term upkeep.

Multan: Additional Chief Secretary(ACS) South Punjab,Fuad Hashim Rabbani on Saturday inaugurated a two-day Mango Festival at DHA Multan, showcasing the region’s diverse mango varieties and agricultural potential.

DHA Multan Project Director Brigadier,Kashif Naeem Barki received the chief guest upon his arrival at the event.

A large number of agricultural experts,mango growers and citizens attended the festival,where varieties including Desi,Anwar Ratol,Chaunsa,Langra and Sindhri were displayed.

Stalls featuring mango-based products were also set up at the venue.

During his visit to the stalls,Fuad Hashim Rabbani appreciated the quality of mangoes and said South Punjab’s mangoes had brought international recognition to Pakistan due to their sweetness and unique taste.

He said the use of modern agricultural technology, improved marketing strategies and international-standard packaging could help enhance mango exports and contribute to economic growth.

The additional chief secretary said the government was taking measures for the development of South Punjab’s agriculture sector and stressed the importance of cooperation between agricultural universities, research institutions and farmers.

He also appreciated the efforts of DHA Multan for promoting the region’s agricultural heritage.

Brigadier Kashif Naeem Barki said Multani mangoes were a symbol of recognition for Multan and South Punjab across the world,adding that modern research was necessary to preserve the legacy of the fruit.

The festival also featured recreational activities for families and children,including a magic show,face painting and mango-eating competitions.

The festival administration presented a commemorative shield to the additional chief secretary while certificates of appreciation were distributed among mango growers.

Dera ismail khan: The installation of Advanced Power Management System (APMS) smart meters on distribution transformers of the 11kV Muslim Bazar feeder is progressing rapidly in Dera Ismail Khan under the directives of the Ministry of Energy.

The installation campaign is being carried out under the supervision of Superintending Engineer (SE) PESCO Dera Circle, Engineer Hizbullah Mehsud.

According to PESCO officials, the project is being implemented by the City Division under the leadership of Executive Engineer (XEN) Engineer Imran Khan Gandapur. The Line Superintendent-I of the Muslim Bazar feeder, along with his technical team, is overseeing the installation work, while the other senior officials of City-I Sub-Division also visited the site to review the progress.

PESCO officials said the primary objective of installing APMS smart meters is to enable independent monitoring of each distribution transformer.

Under the new system, load management will be implemented only in areas where electricity bill recovery remains low, line losses are high, or electricity theft is reported, instead of imposing outages across the entire feeder.

Speaking to the media, SE Engineer Hizbullah Mehsud said the modern system would help protect areas with timely bill payments and minimal power theft from unnecessary load-shedding.

He said the initiative would promote a fairer distribution of electricity, improve operational efficiency, and enhance the overall performance of the power distribution network.