Latest News from Balochistan
Sargodha: A youth was gunned down near Islamabad town over a minor dispute here on Tuesday. Police said that the victim, identified as Hamza had an altercation with his friends over a minor issue. In a fit of rage, one of the accused opened fire, killing him on the spot, and later fled the scene.
The body was handed over to the heirs after postmortem. Quaidabad police registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident.
Rawalpindi: Rawalpindi district administration has ordered an immediate crackdown on open crop residue burning, dust emissions and smoke-emitting industrial units as part of a comprehensive pre-smog action plan rolled out across the district.
The preventive strategy was finalized during an inter-agency coordination session headed by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Headquarters) Abdul Rehman Khan, with senior officials from the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company (RWMC), Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Municipal Corporation, District Council, Agriculture Department, and Education Department in attendance.
Under the directives, allied departments have been tasked with enforcing strict environmental protocols on the ground, impounding heavy smoke-emitting vehicles and deploying dust suppression measures along high-density traffic corridors and construction sites.
The Additional Deputy Commissioner highlighted that proactive field measures were vital to curbing atmospheric pollution before the onset of the winter inversion season, emphasizing that maintaining a clean environment required a synchronized approach from all municipal and regulatory bodies.
He further instructed relevant agencies to launch targeted public awareness campaigns regarding environmental compliance while reiterating that field enforcement teams would maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy against industrial and agricultural environmental violators.
Faisalabad: The University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) and Faisalabad Waste Management Company (FWMC) will make joint efforts on a waste-to-value initiative aimed at converting municipal waste into clean energy, organic fertilizer and other value-added products.
During a meeting between UAF Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali and FWMC Chief Executive Officer Abid Hussain Bhatti, the two sides discussed ways to establish a practical and sustainable mechanism for transforming waste from an environmental challenge into an economic and agricultural resource.
Director Farms Dr Muhammad Aslam, Dr Muhammad Naveed, Chairman Agronomy Dr Nadeem Akbar, Principal Officer Jahanzeb Tariq, District Manager FMWC Attaul Mohsin, Shahzad Hussain Baig and other notables also attended the meeting.
Under the proposed collaboration, FWMC will provide suitable municipal waste to UAF for research, experimentation and development of technologies for waste-to-value applications.
The university will explore the conversion of organic and biodegradable waste into clean energy, fertilizer and other useful products while also examining opportunities for recycling and resource recovery as a step towards climate issues.
Prof Dr Zulfiqar Ali said that the conversion of waste into clean energy and organic fertilizer could contribute to reducing environmental pollution, improving soil health and supporting sustainable agriculture.
He stressed the need to develop indigenous, cost-effective and scalable technologies that could be replicated in other cities and communities.
He said that waste should not merely be viewed as a problem requiring disposal but as a potential resource that could be transformed into economic and environmental benefits and proper mechanism will help achieve sustainable development goals.
He said that the university was committed to promoting research that addressed real-world challenges and produced tangible outcomes for society.
He added that the proposed collaboration with FWMC would help bridge the gap between academic research and practical applications by providing researchers with access to real waste streams for developing and testing sustainable technologies and address climate issues.
He said that initiative will also help the students get the opportunity to learn for the development of country.
FWMC CEO Abid Hussain Bhatti said that the company was keen to strengthen cooperation with UAF and benefit from the university’s scientific and technical expertise to develop sustainable solutions for waste management.
He said that provision of waste to the university would facilitate research and innovation aimed at extracting maximum value from waste while reducing the burden on landfill sites and improving the overall urban environment.
He said that the collaboration could open new avenues for developing clean-energy solutions and promoting resource recovery from municipal waste.
The CEO expressed the hope that joint efforts between FWMC and UAF would result in practical models.
By converting municipal waste into energy, fertilizer and other value-added products, the initiative could simultaneously address waste management challenges, reduce environmental pollution, support renewable energy generation and contribute to sustainable agricultural development.
Multan: Punjab Auqaf Secretary Ehsan Bhatta on Tuesday visited Multan to review arrangements for the 787th annual Urs of Sheikh-ul-Islam Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya Multani, accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Dr Faisal Saleem.
The secretary visited the shrine and inspected langar khana, guidance camps, service camps set up by various district departments, and facility centers established for pilgrims. He interacted with devotees, inquired about the facilities and arrangements provided to them, and directed officials concerned to ensure the provision of best possible services.
Ehsan Bhatta said Hazrat Bahauddin Zakariya had lit the candle of knowledge, spirituality and Islam in the region, and his spiritual services had illuminated thousands of hearts with the light of faith.
He said the Punjab government had made comprehensive arrangements to ensure exemplary facilities for pilgrims, including accommodation, security, transport and sanitation, during the Urs.
Amid the intense heat, cold water points, shaded areas and quality accommodation facilities had also been provided, he said, adding that the Walled City Authority’s modern langar khana would be made operational soon. Briefing the secretary, Deputy Commissioner Dr Faisal Saleem said the district administration had ensured effective arrangements for pilgrims’ guidance, transport, facility centers, special cleanliness measures and disinfectant spray.
He said security would remain on high alert during the Urs and all concerned institutions would remain active round the clock to provide every possible facility to the devotees.
Faisalabad: A motorcyclist was killed while his pillion rider sustained serious injuries in a road accident in the area of Mansoorabad police station. Rescue 1122 spokesman said on Tuesday that a speeding motorcycle slipped on Canal Road near Crown Palace Marquee. As a result, 24-year-old motorcyclist Anwar died instantly while Rescue 1122 shifted pillion rider Hamza to a local hospital in a critical condition.
The police took the body into custody which was later on shifted to mortuary for postmortem.
Beijing: Highlighting the deepening agricultural cooperation between China and Pakistan, foreign and Chinese researchers gathered in Beijing stressed the pivotal role of bilateral partnerships in expanding corn production, seed technological innovation, and cross-border grain trade.
The exchange took place during the 2026 Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Fresh Edible Corn Industry Development Conference, held alongside the Sino-Foreign Fresh Edible Corn Technical Exchange and Industrial Cooperation Seminar and the 12th Beijing Fresh Edible Corn Festival in Tongzhou District, Beijing.
Protocol Opens New Avenues for Export
Delivering a presentation titled “Resource Dilemma and Livelihood Evolution of Pakistan’s Maize Industry,” Prof. Audil Rashid Dean of Science and Chairperson of Department of Botany at the University of Gujrat, Pakistan, emphasized that expanding technical and trade linkages with China offers a vital path forward for rural farmers.
Prof. Rashid noted that the bilateral agricultural relationship has entered an accelerated phase following the execution of the official trade agreement. With both governments having signed the phytosanitary protocol and Chinese customs (GACC) granting access for Pakistani corn shipments local producers now possess a clear regulatory gateway to supply the vast Chinese market, CEN reported.
He highlighted that while Pakistan maintains substantial production capacity in field maize, joint ventures with Chinese institutes in high-value fresh edible varieties such as sweet and baby corn can enhance farm income and rural livelihoods.
Advancing Seed Tech and Germplasm Research
Outlining China’s recent breakthroughs in crop research, Lu Baishan, senior researcher at the Maize Research Institute under the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences (BAAFS), presented on “Fresh Edible Corn Technological Innovation and New Variety Breeding.”
Lu showcased how innovations in elite germplasm selection, stress resilience, and post-harvest quality retention are driving high-yield production. He affirmed that Chinese scientific institutions remain committed to exchanging technical expertise, modern breeding protocols, and resilient crop varieties with international partners like Pakistan to support sustainable regional agriculture.
The conference underlined that with official market clearance in place and joint research initiatives expanding, China-Pakistan corn cooperation stands as a key anchor of the agricultural agenda under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework.