Category: Islamabad

Islamabad: The Committee on Improving Government Efficiency on Friday discussed, deliberated, and finalised the actionable recommendations of the five sub-working groups on restructuring and reforms.

The committee meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar finalised the recommendations on restructuring of the federal secretariat, upgradation of e-office into a decision-making processing system, transformation of the MS Wing, reforming the Performance Evaluation Report (PER) system, and developing a whole-of-government approach.

The recommendations of the committee will be presented to the Prime Minister for consideration.

The meeting was attended by the ministers for petroleum and information technology, Special Assistant to PM Tariq Bajwa, federal secretaries of Cabinet Division, Establishment Division, Economic affairs, Telecom, and other relevant stakeholders.

Islamabad: Women passengers and students on Friday hailed Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for prioritizing women’s mobility and safety, saying that the initiative of five dedicated ‘Speedo buses’ for women on Lahore’s Metro Bus Service will reduce overcrowding and protect commuters from harassment during rush hours.

Interacting with media channels, commuters expressed appreciation for the initiative, saying the additional buses would help create a safer commuting environment for women and reduce concerns during peak travel hours.

Student girls and women commuters said they had previously faced difficulties while travelling in crowded public transport, where they often felt uncomfortable and unsafe, but the new dedicated Speedo buses had brought them a sense of relief and security.

Female passengers shared that rush-hour journeys were often challenging due to overcrowding and unpleasant experiences, adding that the new service would allow them to travel in a more peaceful and dignified manner.

Women commuters described the initiative as a much-needed facility, saying they now felt more comfortable while travelling and appreciated the effort to provide a safer transport option.

A student in Lahore said the dedicated buses would greatly benefit girls travelling to educational institutions, as the service would help them avoid the problems they frequently encountered during busy travel hours.

Female passengers expressed satisfaction with the new facility, saying it was an encouraging step toward making public transport more accessible, secure and convenient for women.

A female teacher passenger described the dedicated Speedo buses as a positive facility that would provide them with a safer, more convenient and stress-free commuting experience.

The commuters demanded that similar services be introduced in other cities as well, saying women and students everywhere deserved access to secure, comfortable and affordable transportation.

They said Metro and dedicated bus services were especially helpful for working women and students by making daily travel easier, economical and more reliable.

Islamabad: Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister (DPM/FM), Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Friday appreciated the relevant officials for their hard work in managing the preparations for hosting the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women, and directed them to ensure enjoyable stay and the best of Pakistani hospitality to the foreign delegations arriving from around the world to attend this important event.

The deputy prime minister chaired the 8th meeting of the High-Level Committee overseeing preparations for the 9th OIC Ministerial Conference on Women, to be held in Islamabad on 12-13 July 2026, a DPM’s Office news release said.

The Committee reviewed the final preparations for the Conference. The Secretary, Human Rights, gave a detailed briefing on the arrangements for the conference programme, delegate facilitation, protocol, security, logistics, media arrangements, and inter-ministerial coordination, to ensure the smooth and successful conduct of the Conference.

The meeting was attended by the Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, SAPM Tariq Bajwa, the Federal Secretaries of Foreign Affairs and Human Rights, and other senior officials from relevant ministries.

Islamabad: The Supreme Court has ruled that heads of educational institutions are legally bound to provide a harassment-free working environment for female teachers and must take immediate and effective action on complaints of workplace harassment, warning that failure to do so may render them accountable for administrative negligence.

According to the detailed judgment, a two-member bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali allowed the appeals filed by the Punjab government and Shazia Iqbal, setting aside the Punjab Service Tribunal’s order that had reduced the penalty of forfeiture of five years’ past service to one year. The Court restored the original departmental punishment of forfeiture of five years’ past service.

The Court observed that a departmental inquiry had established that Shazia Iqbal, Headmistress of the Government Special Education Centre in Faisalabad, failed to take effective action despite receiving complaints that a speech therapist posted at the institution had been harassing female teachers. She was found to have neglected her supervisory and administrative responsibilities.

The inquiry also found that she had unlawfully allowed the employee to reside on the institution’s premises, causing financial loss to the public exchequer.

The Supreme Court held that the departmental inquiry had been conducted in accordance with the law. Female teachers testified before the inquiry, the accused was given full opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses, and their testimony remained unrebutted. The Court observed that extending undue leniency in such serious misconduct cases would be inconsistent with the interests of justice.

The judgment stated that educational institutions are not merely places of learning but are also obligated to provide a safe and dignified environment for female employees and all staff members. It emphasized that when the head of an institution remains silent in the face of harassment complaints, it undermines victims’ confidence and creates an unsafe educational environment.

The Court further stressed that every educational institution should have a clear anti-harassment policy, an effective complaint mechanism, impartial inquiry committees, and safeguards to protect complainants against retaliation.

Referring to the Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, 2010, the International Labour Organization’s Convention No. 190, and international judicial precedents, the Supreme Court held that all institutions have a responsibility to adopt and enforce a zero-tolerance policy against workplace harassment.

Islamabad: The second edition of the Pakistan International Food and Restaurant Awards 2026 was held in Islamabad on Friday to recognize outstanding contributions to Pakistan’s food, restaurant, hospitality and tourism industries, bringing together government representatives, diplomats, parliamentarians, business leaders and stakeholders from across the country.

The event was organized by Brain Designer Pakistan in collaboration with the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) under the theme “Celebration of Marqa-e-Haq and Marqa Muhasiat” and “Celebrating Excellence in Food, Hospitality and Tourism.”

Speaking on the occasion, CEO of Brain Designer Pakistan and Focal Person to the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme on Tourism and Hospitality Muhammad Rauf Raja said the awards aimed to recognize excellence, innovation, quality and service in the food and hospitality sectors while encouraging young entrepreneurs, supporting the hospitality industry and promoting Pakistan as a global destination for tourism, investment, culture and hospitality.

Federal Minister for Tribal Affairs Mubarak Zeb Khan, the chief guest, appreciated the organizers for promoting Pakistan’s hospitality and tourism sectors. He stressed the importance of developing tourism, supporting local businesses, preserving cultural heritage and creating employment opportunities through the hospitality industry.

Chairman of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) Aftab Ur Rehman Rana, who attended the ceremony as guest of honour, highlighted Pakistan’s tourism potential and reaffirmed PTDC’s commitment to working with public and private sector partners to promote sustainable tourism, culinary tourism and international cooperation.

Chairman Board of Governors, Overseas Pakistanis Foundation (OPF), Syed Qamar Raza Shah said overseas Pakistanis

played an important role in promoting Pakistan’s positive image worldwide, adding that Pakistani cuisine and hospitality served as strong ambassadors of the country’s culture. He called for stronger engagement between overseas Pakistanis and the hospitality sector.

Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of National Heritage and Culture, Farah Naz Akbar said Pakistan’s rich culinary traditions and cultural heritage were among the country’s greatest strengths.

She appreciated initiatives aimed at preserving and promoting Pakistan’s diverse food culture while encouraging tourism, cultural exchange and youth participation.

During the ceremony, awards were presented to leading restaurants, hotels, caf©s, food brands, chefs, hospitality professionals, entrepreneurs, tourism organizations and industry leaders in recognition of their contributions to raising standards in Pakistan’s food and hospitality sectors.

The organizers thanked government institutions, strategic partners, sponsors, diplomats, hospitality organizations, business leaders, media organizations and participants for contributing to the success of the event and reaffirmed their commitment to promoting tourism, cultural heritage, entrepreneurship, international partnerships, culinary excellence and sustainable economic growth in Pakistan.

Islamabad: Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, met with Bangladesh’s Interior Minister, Salahuddin Ahmed in New York to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional developments.

During the meeting, both ministers agreed to expand cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including training and exchange programmes for police officers.

They also discussed strengthening collaboration to combat cybercrime and online fraud.

The two sides exchanged views on the Iran-US conflict and the current situation in the Middle East.

According to the statement, the Bangladeshi Interior Minister appreciated Pakistan’s role in promoting regional and international peace.

Speaking after the meeting, Mohsin Naqvi said Pakistan should make use of new opportunities to further strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation. He also stated that, in his view, the Prime Minister and the Field Marshal had played an important role in efforts to promote peace.