Category: Lahore

Lahore: Punjab Food Authority (PFA) on Sunday unearthed a fake milk manufacturing factory in Chak 91 Bhattian, Lahore road, and disposed of 520 liters of adulterated milk prepared from dry powder. On a tip-off, a PFA team conducted a raid at the Chak and recovered 520 liters fake milk with a large quantity of dry milk power and other ingredients used in the manufacturing process. The team disposed of milk on the spot and got registered a case against the owner of the unit. The PFA officials advised the citizens to play their role in identifying food adulterators by reporting complaints through the official helpline 1223.

Lahore: Punjab Forest Department has exceeded its annual plantation target for the fiscal year 2025-26 by planting more than 40 million trees across the province, achieving 103 per cent of the target through its monsoon and spring plantation campaigns. According to a spokesperson on Sunday, over 21 million saplings were planted during the Monsoon Plantation Campaign 2025, while more than 19 million were planted under the Spring Plantation Campaign 2026. Plantation was carried out extensively along canals, rivers, railway tracks and in state-owned forests across Punjab. Kamalia Forest Division completed plantation on 1,750 acres, while the Mianwali and Rahim Yar Khan forest divisions covered 1,152 acres and 1,389 acres, respectively. In the Dera Ghazi Khan Forest Circle, plantation was undertaken on 5,826 acres, while 802 acres were covered in the Sahiwal Forest Division and Dal Waryam areas. The department also distributed more than 3.5 million saplings among defence institutions and various government depar
tments to support afforestation efforts. Under the rail and canal-side linear plantation programme, over 1.4 million saplings were planted along 3,085 avenue miles. In Bahawalpur, another 145,000 saplings were planted under an eco-tourism initiative aimed at enhancing green cover and promoting environmental sustainability. Director General Forests Azfar Ziya said all plantation sites had been geo-tagged to ensure transparency and effective monitoring. He said digital mapping would help maintain a verifiable record of plantation activities and facilitate future assessment of their performance. The DG said the department remained committed to expanding forest cover and advancing the provincial government’s Green Punjab vision through sustained afforestation and conservation initiatives.

Lahore: Pakistan’s expanding forest cover and plantation of bee-friendly tree species are helping strengthen the country’s honey industry, improving rural livelihoods while supporting biodiversity and climate resilience.

Renowned for its diverse floral resources and varied climatic zones, Pakistan produces honey with distinctive taste and quality. Among its most prized varieties is Sidr (Beri) honey, harvested mainly from the forests and semi-arid regions of Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The premium honey is internationally recognised for its rich caramel-like flavour, medicinal value and antibacterial properties.

Experts say afforestation initiatives over recent years have significantly improved bee habitats by increasing the availability of nectar-producing trees. Bee-friendly species such as Kaho, Ber (Sidr), Phulai and Kikar (Acacia) are being promoted under plantation programmes to enhance honey production while restoring degraded ecosystems.

A report published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) highlighted that Pakistan’s reforestation efforts have generated an unexpected economic benefit by increasing honey production as newly planted forests matured. In the Changa Manga forest alone, about 3.5 million trees were planted over 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares), creating improved habitats for bees and resulting in substantially higher honey yields for local beekeepers.

According to the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council (PARC), beekeeping has become an increasingly profitable enterprise. Around 7,000 commercial beekeepers across the country rear the imported honeybee species ‘Apis mellifera’ using modern beekeeping techniques. Earlier PARC estimates indicated about 300,000 managed bee colonies producing nearly 7,500 metric tonnes of honey annually, although industry experts believe production capacity can increase significantly with improved forest cover and better management.

PARC scientists say Pakistan possesses exceptional natural advantages for apiculture due to its diverse ecological zones and prolonged flowering seasons. Honeybee flora is found across Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and other regions, including Mianwali, Chakwal, Jhelum, Attock and Mansehra.

Dr Abdul Waheed, an orchard scientist at PARC, said the country’s favourable climate provides excellent opportunities to expand commercial beekeeping, while plantation of bee-friendly trees would improve nectar availability and create sustainable income opportunities for rural communities.

Officials have projected that large-scale plantation of bee flora, coupled with modern apiculture practices, could substantially increase national honey production, generate thousands of green jobs and contribute billions of rupees to the economy. These figures, however, remain long-term targets dependent on sustained implementation of plantation, conservation and market development programmes.

Rashid Mehmood, Director at PARC’s Honeybee Research Institute, said trees planted during recent afforestation campaigns have now matured and are providing improved forage for honeybee populations, contributing to increased honey production.

He noted that Pakistan is home to four recognised honeybee species. Three are indigenous, Apis cerana, Apis dorsata and Apis florea – while Apis mellifera, an introduced species, has become well established and is widely used in commercial beekeeping.

Despite the positive outlook, experts caution that climate change continues to pose serious challenges. Unseasonal rainfall, prolonged droughts and shifting flowering patterns have affected nectar availability in recent years, reducing honey yields in several regions. They stress that expanding forest cover, conserving native bee flora and reducing indiscriminate pesticide use are essential for sustaining long-term growth of the sector.

Environmental experts also note that Pakistan’s forest cover remains considerably below the global average. Continued investment in afforestation and ecosystem restoration is expected not only to enhance biodiversity and groundwater recharge but also to strengthen pollination services, agricultural productivity and honey exports.

Pakistan’s 12 distinct climatic zones enable production of a wide range of monofloral and multifloral honeys, giving the country significant potential to expand its presence in premium international honey markets through improved quality certification, branding and value addition.

Lahore: The body of a unidentified man was recovered from the Gujarpura area on Sunday.

According to officials,police and rescue teams reached the spot after being informed and initiated necessary legal proceedings.

An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said initial information suggested that the deceased was a drug addict and may have died due to drug abuse.

However,the exact cause of death will be determined after completion of legal formalities and postmortem examination.

Police took the body into custody after collecting evidence from the scene and shifted it to the morgue for identification and further legal process.

Officials said the identity of the deceased has not yet been ascertained while investigations were under way from multiple angles.

Lahore: DIG Operation Faisal Kamran said on Sunday that legal requirements were fulfilled by safely recovering the foreign women.

While holding a press conference here, Faisal Kamran said the statements recorded under Section 164 in the case made it clear who raped the women and and who threatened them. He said that the Punjab Chief Minister took immediate notice of the matter, after which the police, fulfilling the legal requirements, intensified the investigation.

The DIG said that action was initiated as soon as information about the abduction of the foreign women was received. He said a victim sent a picture of the car to her father, with the help of which the number was traced; the police had already information about who called the girls and on whose request they came to Pakistan.

He said that during the investigation, it was revealed that the accused belonged to Sargodha and other areas came, after which raids were conducted at various places including Sargodha. The investigation revealed that both women reached Islamabad in June and later came to Lahore, while a complete record of the movement of the vehicle was also obtained.

He said that as a result of continuous investigation, both foreign women were safely recovered. The police first contacted the Spanish embassy, from where it was learned that one of the women belonged to Venezuela. The DIG Operations said that later the Dutch embassy was also contacted. After the assurance of the diplomatic officials, both women agreed to undergo a medical examination and then record their statements under Section 164.

Faisal Kamran said that the statements of both women were recorded before the court, where the Dutch consulate official was also present. All legal requirements were completed on time, and later on, on the request of the embassies, both women were safely taken to the airport. He said that both the foreign women expressed satisfaction with the police investigation, while after the physical remand of the accused, further progress was made and important recoveries were also made.

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said her government’s vision for modern public transport was not confined to major cities, adding that safe and environmentally friendly electric bus services would be extended to every town and village across the province. In a statement on Sunday, the CM said the expansion of the electric bus network from district headquarters to smaller towns and tehsils reflected the Punjab government’s commitment to providing affordable, modern and sustainable transport facilities to people throughout the province. Electric bus services have recently been launched on 13 routes in Khanewal, Khushab, Bhakkar, Attock, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad.

A fleet of 15 electric buses has been deployed in Khushab, while nine buses each are operating in Khanewal, Bhakkar, Attock, Mandi Bahauddin and Hafizabad. In Khushab, the buses are serving routes from the General Bus Stand to Girot Chowk, Mitha Tiwana and Mangowal. In Khanewal, services are operating on the Khanewal-Jahanian and Kabirwala routes.

In Bhakkar, the buses are running between the General Bus Stand, Darya Khan and Behal, while in Attock they are operating on the POF Sanjwal-Hazro and Hakimabad-Attock Khurd routes. Electric buses have also started operating on the Kathiala Sheikhan-Rasul Village and College Chowk-Manoo Chak routes in Mandi Bahauddin, while in Hafizabad they are serving the Jinnah Chowk (Inter-City) and Ghora Chowk-Jalalpur Bhattian routes. Under the next phase of the programme, the Punjab government plans to launch electric bus services in 14 additional districts by the end of July.

Ten buses each will be deployed in Chiniot, Layyah, Okara and Sialkot, while Lahore, Gujranwala and Multan will receive 12 buses each. Murree, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Vehari, Kasur, Lodhran, Nankana Sahib and Narowal will each receive 11 electric buses.

An additional 488 electric buses are expected to arrive in Pakistan by the end of August for deployment across various districts. At present, 400 electric buses are operating in 18 districts of Punjab, while work is under way to induct 1,500 electric buses into the province’s public transport fleet. Another 212 buses earmarked for 20 additional districts have already reached Pakistan. The provincial government has allocated billions of rupees under the Annual Development Programme to strengthen modern transport infrastructure and promote clean, efficient and sustainable public transport across Punjab.