Category: District

Sialkot: A delegation from the Bedari Organization on Wednesday called on the Vice Chancellor of Government College Women University Sialkot (GCWUS), Prof. Dr. Shazia Bashir, to discuss opportunities for mutual collaboration in the areas of women’s empowerment, education and student development.

According to a press release issued by the university, the meeting focused on establishing joint initiatives aimed at empowering female students, fostering leadership skills and broadening educational opportunities.

During the interaction, both sides discussed strategies to promote awareness on social issues, enhance gender equality and create platforms for capacity building and skill enhancement among young women.

Prof. Dr. Shazia Bashir emphasized the varsity’s commitment to supporting holistic development for its students, noting that partnerships with civil society organizations play a pivotal role in strengthening community engagement and social progress.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment between GCWUS and the Bedari Organization to forge long-term partnerships that promote awareness, leadership and sustainable opportunities for young women.

Sargodha: Police through prompt action successfully recovered a seven-year-old mentally challenged girl within hours of her going missing from the City Police jurisdiction on Wednesday.

According to police sources, upon receiving a complaint regarding the missing girl, identified as Saweera, the concerned Station House Officer (SHO) immediately constituted a special team to trace her.

After coordinated efforts, the police team tracked down and safely recovered the girl within a few hours. She was later reunited with her family after necessary procedures.

Mirpur (ajk): The torrential monsoon rains triggered flash flooding in rivers, streams and seasonal waterways across Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday, disrupting transport, power and telecommunications in several areas, while the authorities urged the residents to stay away from swollen water channels.

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) warned people living near seasonal nullahs and streams to avoid visiting flooded rivers, streams and ponds as heavy monsoon rains continued across the region.

The upper reaches of Neelum Valley and Bagh districts were among the worst-affected areas, while heavy rainfall also lashed Mirpur district and other parts of Mirpur division, which includes Kotli and Bhimber.

In Mirpur, one of the heaviest downpours in recent months inundated low-lying neighbourhoods, turning roads into waterlogged stretches and disrupting traffic.

The rainfall, accompanied by strong winds, uprooted trees and advertising hoardings in several locations, according to official sources.

The power supply, road links and telecommunications were partially disrupted in parts of Mirpur division, while floodwaters entered roadside buildings in low-lying residential areas, including Sangoat, Mian Muhammad Town and settlements near Mangla Lake.

The authorities also reported incidents of landslides in Mirpur’s New City, a residential area developed for families displaced by the Mangla Dam project.

The residents said the landslides caused cracks in several houses and disrupted road traffic in parts of the township.

The weather forecasts indicated intermittent heavy rain is likely to continue across both the plains and upper regions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir over the coming days, raising the risk of further flooding and landslides.

The authorities advised the residents to avoid unnecessary travel near rivers, streams and flood-prone areas.

Bahawalpur: Speakers at a heat safety awareness workshop on Wednesday stressed the need to enhance public awareness about climate change and heatwave preparedness, highlighting the importance of collaboration between government institutions and academia to address growing environmental challenges.

The workshop was organised by the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment at The Islamia University of Bahawalpur in collaboration with the district administration, according to an official university press release.

Addressing the participants, Commissioner Bahawalpur Division Irfan Ali Kathia said climate change had intensified extreme weather events and environmental challenges across the region. He noted that Punjab had suffered significant losses from recent floods, while Bahawalpur, being a desert region, remained particularly vulnerable to drought.

He said collaboration between government institutions and academia, in line with the vision of the Punjab chief minister, was essential for addressing climate-related challenges. He added that The Islamia University of Bahawalpur was playing a vital role in environmental research and public awareness and appreciated Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Kamran, faculty members and researchers for organising the workshop.

Deputy Commissioner Syed Hassan Raza said the district administration was implementing a public awareness campaign on heatwave safety alongside other preventive measures. He described the university’s partnership with stakeholders in organising the workshop as a positive step towards improving community preparedness.

Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture and Environment Prof Dr Tanveer Hussain Turabi said the university’s researchers were making significant contributions to environmental research and public awareness in both natural and applied sciences as well as the social sciences. He also thanked the district and divisional administrations for their support in holding the workshop.

Abbottabad: Fifteen residential houses affected by the recent heavy rains have been declared unsafe after developing severe structural damage, prompting the district administration to evacuate residents to safer locations.

According to the district administration, Additional Assistant Commissioner-II Muhammad Usama, acting on the directives of Deputy Commissioner Abbottabad, Sarmad Saleem Akram, visited the affected area and carried out a detailed inspection of the damaged houses.

The inspection revealed that continuous rainfall had softened the ground, destabilizing the hillside and causing deep cracks in several houses. Some buildings were found to have tilted to a dangerous extent, posing a serious risk to occupants.

Following the assessment, the affected houses were declared highly dangerous, and all residents were immediately shifted to safe locations. The displaced families are currently staying with relatives and members of the local community.

The district administration described the situation as alarming and recommended the immediate provision of tents and other emergency relief measures for the affected families. It also stressed the need for further assistance and precautionary steps to prevent any potential loss of life or property.

Bahawalpur: Commissioner Bahawalpur Division Irfan Ali Kathia visited the General Bus Stand and AC Bus Stand to review arrangements aimed at improving travel facilities for passengers and directed the concerned authorities to ensure cleanliness, fair fare collection and better management at both terminals.

During the inspection, the Commissioner reviewed sanitation arrangements at the General Bus Stand and instructed officials to maintain a clean, safe and welcoming environment for passengers. He emphasized that no compromise would be tolerated on cleanliness standards and directed the relevant departments to ensure proper sanitation and maintenance at all times.

Commissioner Irfan Ali Kathia also directed transport operators to strictly adhere to officially notified fare schedules and warned that overcharging passengers would not be tolerated under any circumstances. He said strict legal action would be taken without discrimination against transporters found charging fares in excess of the prescribed rates. He further instructed the concerned departments to ensure effective implementation of cleanliness measures, discipline, passenger facilitation and compliance with approved fare lists at bus terminals so that citizens can benefit from safe, comfortable and quality transport services.