Category: Lahore

Lahore: The School Education Department Punjab has released new learning outcome targets for Urdu, English and Mathematics for the academic year 2026-27 with the aim of improving the academic performance of students from grades I to V.

As per the instructions issued by the department, separate educational targets have been set for each school, while Gender-Disaggregated Learning Targets have also been prepared for male and female students so that educational progress can be effectively monitored.

All Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) have been directed to immediately convey the school-wise learning targets to Assistant Education Officers (AEOs) and Head Teachers. For this purpose, the targets will also be shared through WhatsApp groups and official emails.

The department has directed the AEOs to regularly review the implementation of these targets during their monthly monitoring visits, while learning outcomes and targets should also be made a part of the agenda in the review meetings of all districts.

These new educational targets are being implemented under the ongoing GRADES project with the support of the World Bank. The department says that the aim of this initiative is to improve the academic performance of students in government schools, make learning outcomes effective and ensure the promotion of quality education.

The School Education Department has directed all CEOs to ensure effective implementation of these instructions by immediately informing the concerned officers and school heads.

Lahore: The Lahore Municipality has released a list of dangerous and derelict buildings in Lahore.

DC Lahore and Administrator has issued orders to immediately construct or rehabilitate the dilapidated buildings.

According to the details, there are 83 dilapidated dangerous buildings in Lahore, while 45 have been declared as extremely irreparable. These buildings include residential, commercial and industrial.

Lahore Municipality says that the first notice will be issued to 83 buildings shortly.

Meanwhile, the district administration said that related departments will be responsible for implementing building bylaws in slums and urban and rural settlements across the province, including Lahore.

Metropolitan Officer Dr. Rai Imtiaz Hassan (Planning) says that constructions are being demolished in violation of the building plan in the city.

Director General of Slums Muhammad Shahid says that for illegal violations LDA and local government will implement the bylaws.

Lahore: Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Ali Ejaz on Saturday reviewed ongoing beautification and development work on Jati Umra Road and Sundar-Raiwind Road and directed officials to ensure the highest standards of quality, transparency and public convenience in all projects.

During a field visit to Jati Umra and Raiwind, the DC inspected the pace of development schemes and the quality of construction work in Tehsil Raiwind. Chief Officer Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL) and Assistant Commissioner Raiwind accompanied him during the visit.

The assistant commissioner gave a detailed briefing on the beautification drive, development plan and quality monitoring being carried out by the Public Health Engineering Department and MCL. Officials informed the deputy commissioner that construction work was being closely supervised to ensure durability and compliance with approved standards.

The DC reviewed the refreshing of curb stones and maintenance of green belts along Jati Umra Road and directed the authorities to take all necessary steps to further enhance the beauty of roads and public spaces. He also instructed officials to keep the green belts in a healthy and lush condition and maintain cleanliness on roads and streets under the Suthra Punjab Mission.

DC Ali Ejaz stressed that there would be no compromise on quality and transparency in public projects. He said development schemes should be durable so that local residents could benefit from them for many years. He directed the authorities to make complete arrangements for alternative traffic routes during construction activities and ordered the immediate removal of encroachments to improve traffic flow and enhance the city’s appearance. He expressed the hope that completion of drainage projects in Raiwind would help resolve long-standing civic problems faced by local residents.

Lahore: Strict action has been started against motorcycle riders who do not wear helmets across Punjab, now the motorcycles of those who violate will also be impounded for a day. According to the authorities, the use of helmets has been made mandatory across the province to protect lives of citizens. Under the new instructions, those riding motorcycles without helmets will not only be challaned but their motorcycles will also be impounded for a day. Officials said that regular operations has been started to ensure 100 percent use of helmets, while traffic rules will be strictly implemented. Along with this, actions are also being taken against motorcyclists who do not adhere to the lane line. According to officials, more than 20,000 motorcycles were stopped last month for violating the lane line.

Officials said that all these measures are being taken to protect the lives of citizens and reduce traffic accidents. Citizens have been appealed to adhere to the lane line on the roads and ensure the use of helmets at all costs.

On the other hand, a new digital challaning system has been introduced for the effective implementation of traffic rules across Punjab, including Lahore, under which now every traffic challan will be issued with complete evidence.

According to DIG Traffic Waqas Nazir, the traffic police will issue challans to citizens across the province through One App, while videos and photos taken on the spot with each challan will be saved as evidence.

He said that citizens will receive an alert SMS from 8070 to pay the traffic challan, which will also contain a link to evidence of traffic violations.

According to Waqas Nazir, citizens will be able to see complete evidence of their traffic violations, including videos and photos, by opening the link in the SMS, which will promote transparency and trust in the challaning process.

DIG Traffic said that the new system has been introduced across Punjab for effective implementation of traffic laws, transparent challaning and providing verifiable evidence to citizens.

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Local Government and Community Development (LG and CD) Zeeshan Rafiq has said the provincial government would introduce a permanent and effective cleanliness mechanism in public hospitals across Punjab..

Chairing a meeting at the Suthra Punjab Authority office here on Saturday, the minister reviewed proposals for preparing a comprehensive plan to improve sanitation standards in government hospitals. Additional Secretary Mehreen Faheem Abbasi and Additional Director General of the Suthra Punjab Authority Aurangzeb also attended the meeting.

The minister said the chief minister had directed authorities to ensure regular cleaning of hospital wards, corridors, lawns and washrooms throughout the province. He added that additional resources would be provided to maintain cleanliness standards in public hospitals and instructed the Suthra Punjab Authority to prepare a detailed implementation plan.

The meeting also reviewed progress on the Waste-to-Value programme. The minister was informed that pilot projects were under way in Lakhodair (Lahore), Faisalabad, Sialkot and Sheikhupura, while non-landfill waste disposal production was being carried out in Dera Ghazi Khan and Chakwal.

Zeeshan Rafiq said case studies being conducted by university scholars in collaboration with the Suthra Punjab Authority had reached the final stage, adding that future initiatives for waste utilisation would be implemented in line with experts’ recommendations. He said the government was committed to converting accumulated waste into valuable resources through biogas, organic fertiliser and other energy-generation projects. He added that an experimental biogas production unit using animal waste was already producing output in Lahore.

The meeting also reviewed the performance of Suthra Punjab agencies across the province. The Additional Director General briefed the minister on their progress.

Zeeshan Rafiq said the establishment of district-level agencies had strengthened the monitoring system at the grassroots level and directed officials to submit performance reports of all district managing directors.

Lahore: Federal Minister for Law and Justice Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar on Saturday said the government was committed to improving legal education, strengthening the professional training of lawyers and ensuring the effective administration of justice.

Addressing the inauguration of the Lawyers Education Academy at the Punjab Bar Council and a certificate distribution ceremony for successful participants of the Bar Vocational Course, the minister said work was underway on introducing a comprehensive health insurance policy for lawyers and their families. He said the federal and Punjab governments were extending full support to the welfare of the legal fraternity.

Tarar said lawyers would be provided treatment for cancer, kidney, liver and heart diseases at both public and private hospitals under the proposed health scheme. He added that the Punjab government had released Rs1.35 billion in grants for bar associations and announced an additional Rs20 million for the Bar Vocational Course.

The minister said the establishment of the Directorate of Legal Education at the Pakistan Bar Council was a major reform aimed at modernising legal education. He described the legal profession as a sacred responsibility and urged lawyers to strengthen their institutions and resolve disputes through institutional forums.

On judicial reforms, Tarar said a seven-member committee had been constituted to ensure transparency and merit in the appointment of High Court judges. The committee will interview candidates and submit its recommendations to the Judicial Commission.

Questioning why High Court judges should not undergo interviews when Civil Judges and Additional Sessions Judges are required to pass examinations, the minister said judicial appointments must be based strictly on merit. He added that the government was introducing, for the first time, a constitutional mechanism for the annual evaluation of judges’ performance through a Judges Evaluation Committee.

Under the proposed system, a Judges Evaluation Committee will review the performance of judges at the end of each year. If a judge’s performance is found unsatisfactory, the committee may send a reference to the Judicial Commission and recommend removal, he added.

Commenting on constitutional reforms, Tarar said the 28th Constitutional Amendment would not be introduced in haste. He said that whenever the amendment is introduced, it will only be after broad consultation. He noted that the legal fraternity, including the Supreme Court Bar Association and other bar councils, had supported the 26th and 27th Constitutional Amendments.

Punjab Bar Council Executive Committee Chairman Fakhar Hayat Awan said the Bar Vocational Course had been mandatory since 2018 and announced that the Punjab Bar Council would no longer issue licences without verification of law degrees by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).

He also announced that the Bar’s Benevolent Fund had been increased from Rs300,000 to Rs600,000, pledging that there would be no compromise on the rights and welfare of lawyers.

Earlier, the federal law minister inaugurated the Lawyers Education Academy and later distributed certificates among successful participants of the Bar Vocational Course.

The ceremony was attended by Judicial Commission member Ahsan Bhoon, Pakistan Bar Council Vice Chairman Pir Muhammad Masood Chishti, Punjab Bar Council Vice Chairman Khawaja Qaiser Butt, senior office-bearers of the Pakistan and Punjab Bar Councils, and a large number of lawyers.