Day: July 27, 2026

Lakki marwat: A Balochistan Frontier Corps (FC) soldier, identified as Balqiaz, was martyred in a terrorist attack in Shah Hassan Khel area on Sunday. According to police sources, Balqiaz was stationed with FC in Balochistan and was currently visiting his native village of Mastikhel on leave.

He had traveled to Shah Hassan Khel for personal work when armed terrorists opened fire on him, killing him on the spot. Following the incident, police cordoned off the area to gather evidence and launched a search operation to apprehend the attackers.

Bahawalpur: A team from the National Cotton Breeding Institute (NCBI) and the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics of The Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB) visited the Agricultural Research and Facilitation Complex (ARFC), Chappu, Bahawalpur, to inspect ongoing cotton research trials.

According to an official press release issued by IUB, the visit was conducted in line with the vision of Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Muhammad Kamran to strengthen agricultural research and promote innovation in cotton improvement.

During the visit, the team carried out a detailed inspection of adaptability and performance trials of promising cotton genotypes, including IUB-MK, IUB-Green and IUB-Shahkar. The researchers evaluated plant growth, boll formation, crop vigour, field performance and overall adaptability of the varieties under local agro-climatic conditions.

The university said these trials were aimed at assessing yield potential, stability and suitability of the cotton varieties across different environments before their possible recommendation to farmers on a larger scale.

Research Officer Ms Hadiqa from the Chappu Research Station briefed the visiting team about the experimental layout, crop management practices, current crop status, data collection procedures and preliminary observations of the trials.

The visiting delegation appreciated the efforts of research staff involved in managing and monitoring the experiments.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Hadiqa said multi-location adaptability trials were essential for accurately evaluating the performance of new cotton varieties under diverse environmental and management conditions.

She highlighted the importance of maintaining high-quality data regarding agronomic traits, yield components, fibre quality and stress tolerance to support future variety registration and commercialization.

Dera ismail khan: Regional Police Officer (RPO) Dera Ghulam Mubashir Mekan has directed police across the Dera Range to further strengthen security at police stations, check posts, sensitive installations and other vulnerable locations as part of a comprehensive strategy to counter terrorism and protect police personnel and the public.

He issued these directives while chairing a high-level meeting held to review the region’s security situation, including the recent terrorist attack on the Manji Khel check post in Tank district.

The review focused on improving operational preparedness, preventing similar attacks and enhancing coordination among law enforcement agencies.

The meeting was attended by Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer (DPO) Ziauddin Ahmed, the Director of the Police Training School, SP CTD Region-I Iftikhar Shah, SP Security, SP City, SP Saddar, SP Paharpur, SDPOs of City and Saddar, and officers from the Frontier Reserve Police (FRP), Elite Force, Special Branch and DSB. DPO Tank, DPO South Waziristan Lower, SP CTD Region-II Gul Rauf and other SDPOs from across the region joined via video link.

DPO Tank briefed the participants on the Manji Khel check post attack, explaining the circumstances of the assault, the police response and measures being taken to prevent similar incidents.

DPO Dera Ismail Khan Ziauddin Ahmed presented the district’s security arrangements, highlighting protective measures for police stations, check posts, sensitive sites and key installations, as well as ongoing search-and-strike operations, intelligence-based operations and the operational readiness of the force.

SP CTD Region-I Iftikhar Shah shared updates on intelligence-based counterterrorism operations, surveillance of banned militant groups, inter-agency intelligence coordination and action against facilitators of terrorist networks.

DPO South Waziristan Lower and SP CTD Region-II Gul Rauf also briefed participants on the security situation in Upper and Lower South Waziristan and ongoing operations against militant elements.

RPO Ghulam Mubashir Mekan directed officers to reinforce the protective walls of police stations and check posts with HESCO barriers, improve lighting at sensitive locations, ensure an immediate response to every threat alert, conduct regular mock exercises and emergency drills, and strictly implement standard operating procedures (SOPs).

He reiterated that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police remains fully committed to defeating terrorism, adding that the protection of police personnel, the safety of citizens and the maintenance of lasting peace in the region remain the force’s top priorities through modern policing, effective intelligence sharing and public cooperation.

Chiniot: The floodwater level in River Chenab continues to decline steadily in Chiniot district, the flood wave has now passed through the area and is moving towards Trimmu Head in Jhang district.

According to the latest official data, discharge at Chiniot Bridge decreased from 155, 228 cusecs recorded late Saturday night to 104, 139 cusecs at 12:00 noon on Sunday, indicating a continuous fall in the river’s water level.

The recent flooding inundated hundreds of acres of standing crops in Bhawana, Lalian, Sambhal, Kot Amir Shah and other riverine areas. Several houses and other properties were also affected.

However, floodwater is still present in parts of the affected areas, making it difficult to assess the full extent of the damage.

District authorities said a comprehensive damage assessment will be carried out once the water recedes to determine losses to crops, houses, infrastructure and other public and private property before compiling a final report.

Meanwhile, the district administration continues to monitor the situation closely. Residents have been advised to avoid unnecessary movement near River Chenab and low-lying areas and to follow official instructions to ensure their safety.

Multan: The district administration intensified its crackdown against profiteers to ensure the availability of essential commodities at government-prescribed prices, arresting 330 violators during the current month.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Faisal Saleem said the action was launched following strict directions to curb profiteering and overcharging. He said price control magistrates, in collaboration with the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (PERA) force, conducted extensive inspections across the district.

He said more than 61, 000 inspections were carried out during the month, resulting in fines exceeding Rs 500, 000 on shopkeepers and traders found violating the official price list. Besides the arrests of 330 profiteers, five cases were also registered against violators.

The deputy commissioner reiterated that the district administration was pursuing a zero-tolerance policy against hoarding and illegal profiteering, warning that no violation of the official price list would be tolerated.

He directed all shopkeepers to prominently display the government-issued price list at their outlets and urged citizens to report incidents of overcharging or hoarding to the authorities for prompt action.

Bahawalpur: Commissioner Bahawalpur Division, Irfan Ali Kathia, accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Bahawalpur, Syed Hassan Raza, visited the protective embankments near Empress Bridge on the Sutlej River to review ongoing strengthening and rehabilitation work ahead of the monsoon season.

During the visit, officials of the Irrigation Department briefed the Commissioner on the progress of flood protection projects and the measures being taken to reinforce the embankments. Also present during the inspection were Assistant Commissioner Bahawalpur City, the Superintending Engineer (Highways), the Executive Engineer (Highways), officials from Rescue 1122, and the Irrigation Department.

The Commissioner directed the concerned departments to complete all repair and strengthening work on the protective embankments within the stipulated time frame and in accordance with the highest quality standards. He emphasized that the measures are essential to safeguard human lives, agricultural land, and valuable property against any possible flooding during the monsoon season.

He further instructed that all embankments be fully reinforced before the onset of heavy monsoon rains and stressed the importance of ensuring transparency, quality construction, and timely completion of all flood protection projects.