Category: Lahore

Lahore: One person was killed and another injured in a collision between two motorcycles on Jail Road on Sunday,rescue officials said.

According to Rescue 1122, the deceased was killed on the spot.His identity could not be ascertained immediately.

They said another motorcyclist, identified as Anush Akram, sustained injuries in the accident and was shifted to Services Hospital, where he is under treatment.

Police said Race Course Police were investigating the incident.

Meanwhile, City Traffic Officer (CTO) Lahore Syed Abdul Rahim Shirazi sought an immediate report of the accident.

Lahore: Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Chief Executive Officer(CEO),Mian Kashif Ashfaq on Sunday said that one pint of donated blood could save the lives of three patients suffering from thalassemia, cancer, childbirth complications and other life-threatening conditions.

Talking to a delegation of the Sundas Foundation,led by its founder and President Dr Muhammad Yasin Khan, he said thousands of patients depended entirely on voluntary blood donors for their survival. Quoting the Holy Quran, he said, ‘Whoever saves one life, it is as if he has saved all of mankind’ (Surah Al-Ma’idah 5: 32),highlighting the immense spiritual reward and moral responsibility of helping those in need.

He said blood donation was a practical manifestation of the selflessness and compassion encouraged by Islam.

Citing medical research,he said donating blood did not adversely affect the donor’s health, as the body naturally replenished fresh blood within a short period.

He urged eligible individuals to donate blood regularly,saying that a simple act of generosity every few months could make a lasting difference without posing any significant health risk to the donor.

Mian Kashif Ashfaq called for promoting a culture of voluntary blood donation and encouraging young people to become regular donors to help save precious lives and strengthen the spirit of humanity and brotherhood.

He said young and healthy people should come forward to donate blood regularly, giving hope and a second chance at life to those in desperate need.

The CEO also lauded the outstanding humanitarian services of the Sundas Foundation for providing blood free of cost to patients in a timely manner.

He appreciated the foundation’s efforts in offering free meals to attendants and extending facilities to families bringing their children to the center for treatment.

Lahore: The Punjab government has introduced a mobile application for the convenience of prisoners’ families through which citizens will now be able to schedule a time to meet prisoners from home. According to official sources, the aim of new app was to provide modern and easy facilities to citizens visiting prisons, so that long waits and unnecessary rush for meetings could be avoided. It is worth mentioning here that through the app, citizens will be able to schedule a meeting time according to their convenience, which will also help in making the meeting system in prisons more organised and effective.

Lahore: As temperature soared on the 5th day of July, hundreds of Lahore residents turned to the city’s canal to celebrate the holiday with their families and seek relief from the intense heat, despite an official ban on swimming imposed by the city administration.

Young people rushed to bathe in the canal to escape the heat. The cool water of the canal became a source of relief for citizens in the scorching heat. People say that coming to the canal relieves the feeling of intense heat; they enjoyed the entertainment on the banks of canal on their holidays. They said extreme weather conditions had forced them to seek relief wherever possible, adding the heat had become unbearable, and the canal’s cold water provides comfort and relaxation.

The canal, which passes through the heart of Lahore, has long remained a popular recreational spot during summer months and holidays. Families, including women and children, gathered along different stretches of the Lahore canal throughout the day, carrying homemade food, enjoying picnics and cooling off in the water.

The city administration has repeatedly announced warnings and advised citizens to avoid bathing in canal, but large numbers of people continued to enter the canal without fear of penalties.

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was briefed on Saturday that Punjab had become the first province in Pakistan to undertake comprehensive digital health and demographic mapping of its population, with the country’s largest-ever digital health census nearing completion.

Chairing a meeting of the Health and Population Department here, the chief minister reviewed progress on the Community Health Inspectors Programme. She was informed that health and demographic profiling of more than 85 percent of the population had been completed in 18 districts, while five districts had achieved 100 percent coverage and another five had crossed the 95 per cent mark.

The meeting was told that digital health and demographic profiles of 94.3 million citizens had been registered. Every household across Punjab had also been assigned a unique digital identification number through the province’s digital mapping initiative.

Under the programme, 14,300 Community Health Inspectors visited households to collect health, demographic, socio-economic, drinking water and disability-related data. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also reviewed the programme’s digital dashboard, which consolidates the information for evidence-based planning and service delivery.

The CM said reliable data was the foundation of effective public policy, adding that healthcare services would now be planned and delivered on the basis of authentic digital information rather than estimates.

‘Without accurate data, it is impossible to determine where patients are located or how many medicines and healthcare facilities are required,’ she said, adding that the initiative would help identify long-neglected health challenges and improve resource allocation across the province.

During the briefing, the meeting was informed that cardiac catheterisation laboratories (Cath Labs) would be made operational in 16 districts by December. Five Cath Labs are already functional, while facilities in Bhakkar, Bahawalnagar and Layyah have been directed to become operational at the earliest. The CM sought weekly performance reports on all functional Cath Labs.

CM Maryam Nawaz also directed authorities to further improve the home delivery system for medicines and launch a comprehensive population management campaign to address the province’s growing population. She proposed the ‘Maryam Nawaz Sehat Mand Gharana’ programme to link citizens directly with healthcare centres, reducing unnecessary hospital visits. Patients suffering from diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis, cancer and malnutrition would receive digital follow-up and continuous monitoring under the integrated system.

The meeting was further informed that a modern disaster recovery site would be established to ensure the security and protection of the province’s digital health data.

The CM directed that Phase-II Cath Labs in eight additional districts be completed by the end of July. She also appreciated the anti-polio teams after environmental samples collected from 19 districts tested negative for the poliovirus, paying tribute to health workers for their tireless efforts in the campaign against polio.

Lahore: The Punjab government has decided to expand the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar programme by extending interest-free loans for the repair, rehabilitation and expansion of dilapidated houses to facilitate deserving low-income families.

The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by Punjab Minister for Housing and Urban Development Bilal Yasin to review the expansion of the programme, here on Saturday. President of the Bank of Punjab (BoP) Zafar Masud, Housing Secretary Noor-ul-Amin Mengal and Director General PHATA Sikandar Zeeshan briefed the meeting on the proposed framework.

Minister Bilal Yasin said interest-free loans ranging from Rs500,000 to Rs1 million would be provided through an e-portal under a transparent and low-cost mechanism for the construction of new portions, house repairs and roof construction. He said the expanded programme would enable beneficiaries not only to build new homes but also to renovate unsafe and dilapidated houses.

The minister said around 170,000 families had so far received interest-free loans under the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar scheme. He expressed the government’s commitment to extending similar financial assistance to another 100,000 families during the next financial year to help them construct their own houses.

He said the expanded programme would primarily benefit low-income, homeless and families living in mud or structurally weak houses, with the objective of providing every deserving household with safe, dignified and improved housing.

Bilal Yasin said equal emphasis would be placed on facilitating deserving people in both urban and rural areas. He added that the initiative would stimulate construction activity, generate employment opportunities and promote economic growth.

The minister directed the relevant departments to ensure the programme’s swift, effective and transparent implementation, saying it would contribute to improving the living standards of vulnerable segments of society and further strengthen social protection across the province.