Month: August 2026

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has congratulated Pakistan’s first woman boxer, Fatima Zahra, on winning a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games, describing the achievement as a proud moment for the nation.

In her message, the chief minister felicitated Fatima Zahra for becoming the first Pakistani woman boxer to secure a medal at the Commonwealth Games, saying that her success had brought honour to the country and inspired young female athletes.

Expressing happiness over the achievement, Maryam Nawaz said it was encouraging to see Pakistan’s daughters advancing and proving their talent at the international level. She added that Fatima Zahra’s accomplishment would serve as a source of motivation for aspiring sportswomen across the country.

The chief minister praised the boxer’s dedication, hard work and determination, and expressed hope that Pakistani athletes would continue to earn laurels for the country in international competitions.

Lahore: The 116th birth anniversary of renowned Urdu poet Noon Meem Rashid was observed on Saturday, with writers, academics and admirers paying glowing tribute to one of the pioneers of modern Urdu poetry.

Born as Nazar Muhammad Rashid on August 1, 1910, Rashid revolutionized Urdu literature by introducing Azad Nazm (free verse), breaking away from conventional poetic traditions and paving the way for new forms of creative expression.

Rashid’s celebrated collections, including Mavra, Iran Mein Ajnabi, La Insaan and Gumaan Ka Mumkin, are considered milestones of modern Urdu literature. On the occasion of his birth anniversary, literary organizations, scholars and poetry enthusiasts acknowledged his contribution to Urdu literature and praised his lasting influence on successive generations of writers.

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the death of eight mountaineers after an avalanche struck Broad Peak in Skardu. The chief minister prayed for the safe recovery of the missing mountaineers and extended her heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the bereaved families.

Lahore: In view of the fourth spell of monsoon, a special alert has been issued to all districts including WASA Punjab. A detailed review of the arrangements to deal with the rains was taken in a video link meeting chaired by Minister for Housing and Urban Development Bilal Yasin, in which

DG WASA Punjab Tayyab Farid and MDs of various districts briefed on the preparations and performance.

It was decided in the meeting that now not only field operations but also office staff will directly monitor drainage and other activities. Wearing uniforms has been made mandatory for all WASA field employees, while their presence and performance will be monitored through a geo-location system.

The minister directed that the de-silting (cleaning of drains) process will not stop under any circumstances,

while the DG WASA was directed to take immediate steps to ensure the provision of additional staff and machinery. He said that in any emergency, the machinery of the adjoining districts and WASA Lahore will provide full support to other districts.

Bilal Yasin directed all MDs to submit regular reports on the drainage of low-lying areas, the status of manholes and field operations. All disposal stations, de-watering machinery, generators and special complaint cells were also directed to be kept fully functional.

The minister clarified that no delay in drainage will be tolerated during rains, while in case of emergency, immediate communication and joint action should be ensured between all relevant institutions so that timely relief can be provided to the citizens.

Lahore: The district administration has launched a large-scale crackdown against those who charge excessive fees from citizens in the name of private parking in the city. Acting on the instructions of Deputy Commissioner Captain (retd) Ali Ijaz, more than 50 private parking stands were sealed for charging more than the official rates.

The operations were carried out under the leadership of MOR Jawadul Hassan in Gulberg, Shalimar, Data Ganj Bakhsh and Samanabad zones on the instructions of COMCL Kaleem Yousuf. According to the district administration, the parking fee for motorcycles was Rs 50 and for cars Rs 100 at several parking stands, while the official parking fee for motorcycles is Rs 10 and for cars Rs 30.

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Housing and Urban Development Bilal Yasin on Saturday directed the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) to maintain round-the-clock preparedness during the ongoing monsoon spell, warning that any delay in rainwater drainage would not be tolerated.

Chairing a video-link meeting to review monsoon preparedness across the province, the minister received briefings from Director General WASA Punjab Tayyab Farid and managing directors of WASA in different districts on operational readiness and contingency measures.

Bilal Yasin said monitoring of field operations would be further strengthened, adding that office staff would also oversee on-ground performance to ensure timely response during rainfall. He announced that wearing uniforms would be mandatory for all WASA personnel, while the performance of field staff would be monitored through a geo-location-based tracking system to improve accountability and efficiency.

The minister directed that desilting operations should continue without interruption and instructed the DG WASA to ensure the immediate deployment of additional workforce and machinery wherever required. He said that in case of any emergency, machinery from adjoining districts, along with resources from WASA Lahore, would be mobilised to provide operational support.

Bilal Yasin also instructed all WASA managing directors to assign dedicated staff for submitting regular reports on rainwater drainage in low-lying areas and the condition of manholes. He directed that all disposal stations, dewatering machinery, generators and special complaint cells should remain fully operational throughout the monsoon season.

The minister further emphasised the need for immediate coordination among all relevant departments to ensure a swift and effective response to any rain-related emergency.