Month: July 2026

Lahore: Police have arrested a proclaimed offender wanted in a murder case for the past 13 years during an ongoing crackdown against absconding criminals,officials said on Sunday.

According to police,the arrest was made on the instructions of DIG Investigation Syed Zeeshan Raza.

In-charge Investigation Police Station Batapur, Muhammad Siddique Bhatti along with his team, conducted an intelligence-based operation and arrested the accused after receiving a tip-off.

Police said the accused had been wanted in connection with a 2013 murder case in which a citizen,Mohsin was shot dead. The suspect had been absconding since the incident and had repeatedly evaded arrest despite multiple raids,officials added.

Investigators said the accused was traced and arrested with the help of modern technology and human intelligence.

Further legal proceedings were underway.

DIG Investigation Syed Zeeshan Raza said the crackdown against proclaimed offenders involved in serious crimes would continue without interruption and that all fugitives would be brought to justice.

Lahore: To control air pollution and smog in the city, the Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Lahore has announced more stringent measures against vehicles emitting smoke.

According to the CTO, the driving licenses of drivers of commercial vehicles that cause pollution will be suspended, while the route permits of these vehicles will also be canceled.

CTO Lahore Syed Abdul Rahim said that tough decisions are inevitable in view of human health and public safety. He said that trolleys and dumpers carrying soil, sand and other construction materials without tarpaulins will not be able to enter the city, while tractor trolleys will also not be allowed to ply on the roads without tarpaulins, water sprinklers and other safety measures.

He said that during the smog prevention campaign, challans were issued for 114,378 vehicles emitting smoke, while 1,401 cases were also registered for various violations.

According to the CTO, action was taken against 53,599 vehicles transporting sand, soil and other polluting materials without tarpaulins, while legal action was also taken against 188,374 vehicles for not having fitness certificates and being in a dilapidated condition.

Syed Abdul Rahim further said that a special crackdown is underway on soil, sand and other mine sites, while special checkpoints and checks are being carried out under the supervision of DSPs on all the entrance and exit routes of the city to prevent the entry of polluting vehicles.

He said that letters have also been sent to several government and semi-government institutions to ensure timely repair and fitness of vehicles emitting smoke so that joint steps can be taken to eliminate smog.

On the other hand, strict action has been initiated against motorcyclists who do not wear helmets across Punjab, now the motorcycles of violators will also be impounded for a day. According to the authorities, the use of helmets has been made mandatory across the province to protect the lives and property of citizens.

Under the new guidelines, those riding motorcycles without helmets will not only be issued challans but their motorcycles will also be impounded for a day. Officials say that regular operations have been launched from today to ensure 100 percent use of helmets, while traffic laws will be strictly enforced.

Along with this, operations are also underway against motorcyclists who do not adhere to lane lines. According to officials, more than 20,000 motorcycles were impounded last month for lane line violations.

Lahore: Coordinator to the Federal Tax Ombudsman Saif ur Rehman on Sunday said the ‘Top 1000 Club’ of private-sector leaders could play a pivotal role in raising Pakistan’s per capita income from around $1,900 to $5,000 by 2060.

Talking to a delegation of traders here,he said achieving this target would require a sustainable long-term strategy, including maintaining an annual GDP growth rate of 5 to 5.5 per cent over the next three decades while effectively managing population growth to ensure net per capita GDP growth of at least 3 per cent each year.

He said a strong partnership between the public and private sectors was essential for enhancing productivity, attracting foreign investment and improving the ease of doing business.

Saif-ur-Rehman said policy consistency, political stability,investment in human capital and the development of modern infrastructure would enable the private sector to realize its full potential and drive economic growth.

He expressed confidence that,with collective determination and visionary leadership,Pakistan could achieve inclusive prosperity,strengthen its industrial base and emerge as a resilient upper-middle-income economy by 2060.

Lahore: Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) Chairman Moazzam Iqbal Sapra has issued orders for the appointment and transfer of 19 officers. PRA spokesperson confirmed to the media here Sunday that transfers and postings include 14 Enforcement Officers and 05 Audit Officers. The reshuffle aims to further strengthen the Authority’s administrative capacity and improve operational efficiency. Officers have been assigned new responsibilities across various districts and field formations. The appointments and transfers were made on the basis of merit, professional experience, and administrative requirements. PRA Chairman Moazzam Iqbal Sapra said that the Authority would further strengthen its administrative capacity to achieve revenue collection targets and expand the tax net. He directed the officers to play an active role in enhancing field operations, monitoring, and the effective enforcement of tax laws.

Lahore: SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry former president Iftikhar Ali Malik on Sunday called for accelerating efforts to translate Pakistan’s diplomatic engagement with Iran into sustainable economic growth through enhanced trade, energy cooperation and investment.

In a statement,he said Pakistan needed a two-pronged strategy focused on expanding economic ties with Iran while strengthening its presence on regional and global economic platforms to achieve long-term prosperity.

He urged the government to institutionalize cooperation with Iran in the areas of energy,trade and logistics,saying such measures would bring long-term economic benefits for both countries.

Malik said Pakistan should also focus on promoting its economic potential internationally, adding that the country had a strong base of family-owned businesses with significant investment capacity.

He stressed that the private sector should be allowed to play a leading role in driving economic growth.

He said targeted fiscal and monetary incentives through commercial banks, simplified tax policies and the one-window facilitation mechanism of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) would help strengthen economic foundations.

He added that enhanced economic cooperation with Iran could lead to increased bilateral trade, affordable energy supplies, reduced smuggling and lower cross-border transaction costs, while also improving Pakistan’s international economic outlook.

He further said diplomatic initiatives could yield meaningful economic dividends if complemented by policies promoting export-led growth, value addition, foreign direct investment, job creation, import substitution and technology transfer.

Lahore: The Punjab government has introduced a mobile application for the convenience of prisoners’ families through which citizens will now be able to schedule a time to meet prisoners from home. According to official sources, the aim of new app was to provide modern and easy facilities to citizens visiting prisons, so that long waits and unnecessary rush for meetings could be avoided. It is worth mentioning here that through the app, citizens will be able to schedule a meeting time according to their convenience, which will also help in making the meeting system in prisons more organised and effective.