Category: District

Rawalpindi: Regional Police Officer (RPO) Rawalpindi, Babar Sarfraz Alpa held an open court (Khuli Katchery) at City Police Station and listened to citizens’ complaints and grievances besides directing the relevant officers to take immediate legal action.

Addressing on the occasion, the RPO instructed that all public applications be processed promptly and reports on the action taken be submitted within the prescribed timeframe.

He emphasized that ensuring timely justice and the swift resolution of citizens’ issues remains the top priority of Rawalpindi Region Police.

Babar Sarfraz Alpa said the purpose of holding open courts is to strengthen trust and cooperation between the public and the police.

He warned that negligence or unnecessary delays in addressing public complaints would not be tolerated.

Later, the RPO visited City Police Station and inspected the police station building, front desk, duty officer’s office, and other operational sections.

During the visit, he directed investigating officers to ensure the timely disposal of pending cases and stressed the importance of treating all visitors to the police station with courtesy, professionalism, and respect.

Beijing: Tarim University has inaugurated the China-Pakistan Science and Technology Backyard on Desert Horticulture in Multan, Pakistan.

Tailored to the local arid and semi-desert terrain, the project leverages Tarim University’s flagship disciplines to conduct joint research and teaching programs with Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University of Agriculture, addressing key challenges in dryland agriculture.

Under this initiative, the two institutions will jointly develop drought-resistant horticultural crops, promote water-saving farming practices, and establish field demonstration bases.

Adopting an integrated field-research model, the project bridges classroom theory and on-farm practice to cultivate top agricultural talent, CEN reported on Thursday.

Furthermore, a regular joint postgraduate training scheme will be launched to facilitate faculty and student exchanges.

Both universities will also share crop germplasm resources and research findings, enabling Pakistani and Chinese students to sharpen their practical skills in real-world agricultural scenarios.

Kohat: Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kohat, Muhammad Nawaz Wazir on Thursday directed revenue officials to ensure the immediate resolution of public complaints while presiding over a Revenue Darbar held at the Service Delivery Centre under the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s District Service Delivery Programme.

The deputy commissioner heard complaints and applications related to land and revenue matters, including property mutations, issuance of land ownership records, demarcation, ownership disputes and other revenue issues. He reviewed each case individually and instructed the relevant officials to resolve several matters on the spot, while directing that the remaining cases be disposed of within the prescribed timeframe.

Tehsildars, qanongos and patwaris attended the open forum and provided guidance to citizens on revenue procedures. Cases requiring further legal processing were referred to the concerned authorities for early action.

Muhammad Nawaz Wazir said the District Service Delivery Programme aims to provide transparent, efficient and timely public services, improve access to government institutions and remove bottlenecks in the revenue system. He instructed revenue officials to deal with citizens courteously, avoid unnecessary delays and decide all matters strictly in accordance with the law.

The district administration said regular Revenue Darbars would continue to strengthen communication between the public and the administration, facilitate the timely settlement of land-related disputes and reduce the need for repeated visits to government offices.

Peshawar: Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi has demanded Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif to abolish federal taxes in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), following the provincial government’s recent decision to withdraw provincial taxes from these regions.

In a letter addressed to the prime minister, the governor said the merged districts and PATA had been granted a special tax-exempt status under the constitutional framework and commitments made during the merger process in view of their unique historical, economic and security circumstances.

He said that the KP government had recently abolished provincial taxes in the merged districts and PATA to ease the financial burden on residents still recovering from decades of conflict, displacement and underdevelopment.

However, he said, the continuation of federal taxes had reduced the impact of that relief.

The Governor requested the federal government to restore and extend tax exemptions for the merged districts and PATA, constitute a joint federal-provincial committee to assess the fiscal and economic conditions of the areas before introducing further taxation, and place the matter before the Council of Common Interests (CCI) or another appropriate forum for an early resolution.

He said a coordinated federal and provincial tax policy would help strengthen public confidence, support economic recovery and advance the socio-economic integration of the merged districts and PATA.

Sialkot: At least 12 people, including six children and three women, sustained injuries in three separate roof collapse incidents caused by heavy rainfall in different areas of the district on Thursday.

According to Rescue 1122 officials, six children were injured when the T.R. girder roof of a house collapsed in Kuli Salah along Chaprar Road. Rescue teams responded promptly, provided first aid on-site and shifted four of the injured children to Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital (AIMH) for further treatment.

In a second incident near Bonkan in the Pakka Garha area, three men-identified as Hassan Munir (30),Zahid (40) and Munir (60)-were injured when another rain-drenched roof caved in. Rescue personnel administered preliminary medical assistance and shifted two of the injured to the hospital.

Meanwhile, a third incident was reported from Tibba Bhagwal Awan, where a T.R. girder roof collapse left three women injured. The victims were identified as Fajar (19),Sehr (20) and Nadia (40). Rescue 1122 medical teams provided immediate first aid at the scene and shifted all three women to AIMH Sialkot.

Muzaffargarh: A medium-level flood continued at Marala Headworks and Qadirabad Barrage on the Chenab River, while water flow at other major barrages remained stable, according to the Punjab Irrigation Department on Thursday.

A spokesperson for the department said that the inflow at Marala Barrage was recorded at 224,496 cusecs, while the outflow stood at 206,496 cusecs. Water levels at Marala Headworks continued to rise, where a medium-level flood was in progress.

At Qadirabad Barrage, the river discharge was recorded at 158,539 cusecs, with the flood remaining at a medium level and the overall situation reported to be stable.

The spokesperson said that 126,717 cusecs of water was passing through Khanki Barrage, where a low-level flood persisted, although the situation remained under control.

Meanwhile, 64,483 cusecs of water was recorded at Trimmu Barrage, where river conditions were reported to be normal.

The spokesperson added that water flow at all other rivers and barrages across Punjab remained within normal limits.

He said that the Punjab Irrigation Department had kept all its field teams on high alert and was continuously monitoring the situation at rivers, barrages and headworks to ensure timely response to any change in water levels.