Day: July 22, 2026

Sialkot: Syed Ahtesham Mazhar, President of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), chaired an awareness session on the Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS), reaffirming the Chamber’s commitment to keeping exporters well-informed on evolving customs regulations and facilitating constructive engagement with the relevant authorities.

The technical session was delivered by Muhammad Mohsin Rafiq, Chief Collector (Exports), Pakistan Customs, who joined the participants online via Zoom and provided detailed guidance on the implementation of the Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS), recent policy developments, compliance requirements, and practical solutions to the issues being faced by the exporting community.

The session was graced by the presence of Beelam Ramzan, Collector of Customs, Sialkot, who attended in person and appreciated the Sialkot Chamber’s proactive role in creating awareness and strengthening collaboration between Pakistan Customs and the business community.

The interactive session concluded with an extensive question-and-answer segment, where exporters highlighted their concerns and received valuable clarifications from the Customs authorities, reflecting the shared commitment of SCCI and Pakistan Customs to facilitate exports while ensuring regulatory compliance.

The session was held at SCCI Auditorium and was attended by the Sialkot business community.

Burewala: The vegetable cultivation has begun on government-owned land in the district under a Punjab government initiative designed to provide free fresh produce to low-income families, the official sources said on Tuesday.

The programme, launched under Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s “Sanjhi Sabzi, Sasti Nahin Muft” (Shared Vegetables, Not Cheap but Free) initiative, aims to improve food security by distributing freshly harvested vegetables to deserving households at no cost.

Following directives from Deputy Commissioner, Vehari, Khalid Javed Goraya, Assistant Commissioner, Burewala, Jawad Hussain Malik visited the local Agriculture Department office to inspect cultivation work and review progress on the project.

During the visit, Malik instructed officials to complete all stages of cultivation according to schedule to ensure timely harvesting and distribution of vegetables through a transparent mechanism.

He said the initiative was intended to provide fresh, nutritious and quality vegetables free of charge to economically vulnerable families.

The project is being jointly implemented by the district administration and the Agriculture Department as part of broader efforts to support food security and provide relief to low-income households.

Sialkot: A nine-member delegation of the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sialkot (WCCIS), led by President Dr Mariam Siddiqa, visited Sialkot International Airport Limited (SIAL) and met with Chairman Abdul Ghafoor Malik.

During the meeting, the delegation congratulated Abdul Ghafoor Malik on assuming his new responsibilities as Chairman of SIAL and conveyed their best wishes for a successful and productive tenure.

The WCCIS delegation expressed confidence in his leadership and hoped that SIAL would continue to strengthen its role in facilitating trade, exports, and business activities, benefiting the industrial and entrepreneurial community of Sialkot.

Senior Vice President WCCIS Gulzaib Waqas Awan and Vice President (VP) WCCIS Rubina Naveed were also present on this occasion.

Abbottabad: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Syed Fakhar Jahan on Tuesday announced a province-wide crackdown on drug dealers and smugglers, directing the excise department and police to conduct joint operations to curb narcotics trafficking.

Addressing an open public forum in Abbottabad, he said dedicated squads from both departments would carry out raids and warned that those involved in the drug trade would not be spared.

The minister said Abbottabad had been included in the Safe City Project and work on the initiative would begin soon. Responding to public complaints, he assured citizens that visible improvements would be seen within a month and said he would write to the Registrar of the High Court over concerns regarding the early release of arrested drug traffickers.

He also warned that any Excise official found involved in corruption or illegal activities would be dismissed from service and prosecuted.

The open public forum was attended by Secretary Excise Khalid Ilyas, Deputy Commissioner Abbottabad Sarmad Saleem Akram, DPO Haroon-ur-Rashid, Director General Excise Abdul Haleem Khan, members of the business community, real estate representatives, local leaders and citizens, who called for stricter action against drug dealers and the early implementation of the Safe City Project in Abbottabad.

Mansehra: Mansehra Police have dismantled a vehicle theft gang and recovered 17 stolen vehicles, including a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, a Suzuki Ravi pickup, a Suzuki FX car, and 14 motorcycles, in a series of successful operations carried out across the district.

According to police, a number of car and motorcycle theft incidents had been reported in different parts of Mansehra over the past few months, leading to the registration of multiple cases at various police stations. Acting on the directives of District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Azhar Khan, special teams launched intelligence-based investigations to trace those involved.

The operations were conducted under the supervision of SP City Shah Nawaz Khan and DSP City Cadet Chin Zeb Tanoli. SHO City Cadet Saqib, the Anti-Car Lifting Cell, and other police teams used modern investigative techniques and intelligence information to identify and arrest the suspects.

Police recovered a stolen Suzuki Ravi pickup from suspect Ghulam Abbas. In another case, 14 stolen motorcycles were recovered from suspects Ali, Abbas, Muhammad Abbas, and Mubarak. A stolen Toyota Land Cruiser Prado was recovered from suspect Sardar Asif while a stolen Suzuki FX car was recovered from suspect Shah Zaib.

Police said Shah Zaib and Ghulam Abbas have been sent to jail following court orders, while the remaining suspects will be produced before the court to obtain physical remand. Further investigation is underway to determine the gang’s involvement in other vehicle theft cases.

Kohat: The authorities have intensified a nationwide campaign to repatriate undocumented Afghan nationals, issuing eviction notices to the owners of more than 20,000 houses and apartments accused of accommodating people living in the country illegally.

The district officials have given property owners one week to remove undocumented Afghan tenants, adding that legal action would be taken against those who fail to comply within the deadline.

According to a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Home Department, the police and security forces had expanded operations across Peshawar and other districts in recent days.

The Officials said more than 600 Afghan nationals had been detained and deported from Peshawar over the past five days, while 2,163 others were repatriated after being detained in different districts. The government figures showed that 23,336 Afghan nationals, including women and children, returned to Afghanistan between July, 11 to 16 .

The authorities said the pace of returns had increased sharply, adding daily repatriations, which previously averaged between 400 and 600 people, had risen to between 3,400 and 4,100 individuals. The security forces said that the operations would continue as part of the government’s effort to ensure the departure of all undocumented foreign nationals from the country.