Month: July 2026

Khanewal: District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Abid on Tuesday dismissed a head constable and two constables from service and imposed disciplinary penalties on several other officials during a review of departmental inquiries.

According to police,the DPO held an orderly room and examined various departmental cases as part of efforts to ensure accountability and improve discipline within the police force.

Head Constable Asif,Constable Jameel Kanwal and Constable Mazhar Abbas were dismissed from service after being found involved in misuse of authority and alleged criminal activities,police said.

Inspector Ikram Aijaz was awarded forfeiture of two years of service,while Assistant Sub-Inspector Sajjad Mubarak was penalized with forfeiture of three years of service along with stoppage of annual increments for the same period.

Police said Sub-Inspectors Shafqat and Aftab were punished with forfeiture of two years of service and reduction by one pay scale over poor investigation.

A traffic assistant was also demoted by one pay scale for remaining absent from duty while show-cause notices were issued to several constables.

The DPO said corruption, misuse of authority and negligence in official duties would not be tolerated,adding that strict action would continue against officials found guilty of misconduct.

Cholpon-ata: President Asif Ali Zardari was accorded a formal reception by Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov at the Rukh Ordo Cultural Complex in Cholpon-Ata on Tuesday.

Upon his arrival, President Zardari was warmly welcomed by President Japarov.

The national anthems of Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan were played, followed by a Guard of Honour presented by a contingent of the Kyrgyz Armed Forces.

President Zardari inspected the Guard of Honour and the two leaders introduced the members of their respective delegations to one another.

Mirpurkhas: Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mirpurkhas Syed Fida Hussain Shah has issued written orders transferring 18 Assistant Sub-Inspectors (ASIs) posted at various police stations across Mirpurkhas district to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), Mirpurkhas, for training, on the directives of the Inspector General of Sindh Police, .

The transferred ASIs include Zahid Hussain, Waseem Ahmed, Waqar Ali, Rawal Khan, Parvaish Kumar, Muhammad Khan, Mohsin Ali Muhammad Baloch, Misri Suresh Kumar, Kanji, Imran Khan, Ghazi Khan, Faisal, Dhengo, Danish Bilal, Bilawal Khan, Ameer Hamza Khan, Ahsan Ali, and Adeel Anjum.

According to the official orders, all the concerned officers have been directed to report immediately to their new place of posting at CTD Police Mirpurkhas to undergo the assigned training.

Peshawar: Hashoo Foundation, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), successfully concluded a five-day training programme on Promoting Peace and Environmental Justice through Social Action Projects (SAPs) and Insider Mediation in Swat under the project “Empowering Women for Peace and Environmental Justice in Swat.

‘The training brought together Environmental Human Rights Defenders (EHRDs), community leaders, activists, and insider mediators from across Swat to strengthen their capacity in environmental justice, peacebuilding, and community-led climate action.

The programme aimed to strengthen participants’ knowledge and practical skills in designing and implementing Community Environmental Justice and Peace (CEJP) initiatives, addressing environmental and climate-related grievances, promoting dialogue and mediation, and engaging effectively with formal government mechanisms, including environmental protection institutions.

Throughout the five days, participants engaged in intensive sessions on environmental justice, conflict analysis, community-led social action projects, mediation and negotiation skills, advocacy, institutional referral pathways, and climate-related complaint mechanisms.

Participants also developed practical community action plans designed to address local environmental challenges through peaceful, inclusive, and sustainable approaches.

Government representatives from relevant departments, environmental institutions, and local administration participated in various sessions, providing participants with valuable insights into official complaint and redress mechanisms and opportunities for collaboration between communities and public institutions.

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Qasim, Vice Chancellor, University of Swat was chief guest at the concluding session. Addressing the participants, he emphasized the importance of such initiatives in the current environmental context of Swat. He noted that Swat’s people and economy are deeply dependent on the region’s natural ecosystem, which is increasingly under pressure due to environmental and climate-related changes.

He appreciated Hashoo Foundation and UNDP for organizing the training, stating that it would play a vital role in raising public awareness and strengthening community-led efforts to protect the environment and promote sustainable practices.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Mrs. Sumaira Hashwani, Chief Executive Officer of Hashoo Foundation congratulated the participants on successfully completing the training and emphasized the critical role of local communities, particularly women, in advancing environmental justice and sustainable peace.

‘Environmental challenges cannot be addressed through infrastructure and policies alone. Sustainable solutions emerge when communities are empowered, informed, and actively engaged in protecting their environment and resolving disputes peacefully,’ she remarked.

During the ceremony, Mrs. Sumaira Hashwani and Prof. Dr. Muhammad Qasim distributed certificates among the participants in recognition of their successful completion of the training programme.

The initiative seeks to build a network of trained Environmental Human Rights Defenders and Insider Mediators who can serve as local champions for environmental protection, conflict prevention, and community resilience. Participants are expected to lead awareness efforts, facilitate dialogue, support communities in accessing formal grievance mechanisms, and implement community-based environmental justice initiatives in their respective areas.

The training marks an important step toward strengthening community ownership of environmental governance and promoting inclusive, peaceful, and sustainable responses to environmental and climate-related challenges in Swat.

Mirpurkhas: Commissioner Mirpurkhas, Shahmir Khan Bhutto, accompanied by Deputy Commissioner Mirpurkhas Nawab Sameer Hussain Laghari and LBOD Project Director Fawad Memon, conducted a detailed inspection of natural waterways, including the Mirpurkhas Main Drain, Sarfraz Wah Digri, Tando Jan Muhammad Drain-7, Dhoro Puran Jhudo Main Drain, RD-36, and other rain drains to ensure precautionary measures were in place ahead of the expected monsoon rains.

During the visit, the Commissioner said that the primary purpose of the inspection was to personally review the condition of the natural waterways and the embankments connected to the Left Bank Outfall Drain (LBOD) system, and to ensure that any existing issues were identified and resolved before the monsoon season. He reviewed the ongoing works, inquired about the challenges, and directed the concerned officers to address them without delay.

Officials of the LBOD Department informed the Commissioner that the Mirpurkhas Main Drain has a carrying capacity of 325 cusecs of water. They further stated that bridges at RD-29, RD-36, RD-38, RD-39, RD-40, and RD-42 on the Dhoro Puran drain have been constructed. In addition, the embankments of the Spinal Drain and Dhoro Puran have been strengthened and widened by up to four feet, increasing the drain’s carrying capacity to 5,000 cusecs.

The officials also informed that, with the support of the World Bank, the construction of a regulator on the LBOD has increased its water discharge capacity to 3,600 cusecs.

Among those present during the visit were XEN LBOD Mirpurkhas Syed Najeeb Shah, XEN LBOD Taimoor Khehro, SDO Sub-Division Mirpurkhas, SDO LBOD Sarfraz Soomro, SDO LBOD Nasir Jatt, Deputy Director Information Mirpurkhas Ghulam Raza Khoso, Commissioner’s Assistant Asif Bhangar, and other concerned officials.

Sargodha: The District Coordination Committee on Tuesday held a meeting under the chairmanship of Convener Barrister Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha to review monsoon preparedness and the progress of ongoing development projects across the district. According to the spokesperson for the DC office here, the meeting was attended by Deputy Commissioner Hussain Ahmad Raza Chaudhry, Members of the Punjab Assembly Sardar Asim Sher Maken, Barrister Taimur Ali Khan, representatives of parliamentarians, heads of federal and provincial departments and other concerned officials.

On the occasion, officials presented detailed briefings on the Monsoon Emergency Plan, the Model Village Programme, the “Roads Restored, Prosperous Punjab” initiative, and development schemes being executed under the Punjab Development Programme by WASA in Sargodha city and the Local Government Department across the four tehsils of Bhalwal, Bhera, Sillanwali and Sahiwal.

The committee reviewed the progress of projects, utilisation of funds, implementation challenges and timelines for completion.

The DC briefed the participants on the district’s overall administrative performance, stating that all development projects were progressing at an accelerated pace in line with the directives of the Punjab Government.

He said comprehensive arrangements had been made for the monsoon season, including drainage management, emergency response mechanisms, availability of machinery, monitoring of vulnerable locations and effective coordination among relevant departments.

He added that the district administration was also continuing efforts to improve public services in sanitation, price control, revenue, health, education and other sectors in accordance with government policy.

The committee appreciated the performance of the district administration, police and other departments during Muharram-ul-Haram.

Parliamentarians praised the effective arrangements for maintaining law and order, ensuring security, cleanliness, traffic management and providing facilities to mourners.

Addressing the meeting, Convener Barrister Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha said that under the vision of the Chief Minister Punjab, public service, transparent governance and the timely completion of quality development projects remained the government’s top priorities.

He directed all departments to further accelerate the pace of work on development schemes, ensure transparency and maintain high construction standards, adding that unnecessary delays would not be tolerated.

He also instructed officials to remain fully prepared to tackle monsoon-related challenges by ensuring efficient drainage systems, operational machinery and the active presence of field officers.