Category: Lahore

Lahore: Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan has said the country’s development and prosperity were closely linked to democracy and strong institutions.

He added that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) remained committed to constitutional supremacy, democratic values and public service.

He was talking to a delegation of party workers led by PPP’s nominated candidate for PP-67, Chaudhry Shahzad Ali Gill, at the Governor’s House, here on Saturday.

The Governor congratulated Shahzad Gill for mobilising and strengthening the party organisation at the tehsil level.

Sardar Saleem Haider Khan said the PPP believed in the strength of institutions and regarded its workers as its greatest asset. He said the party had always worked for the supremacy of the Constitution, the rule of law and the strengthening of democratic institutions.

The Governor said the PPP was a true representative party of the people, adding that it understood public issues and remained committed to resolving them. He described Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as a young national leader with the ability to steer the country towards progress, urging party workers to strengthen the PPP through hard work and public support. He said the true essence of politics was to serve the people and address their problems through practical measures.

A large number of party workers, including PP-67 Coordinator Chaudhry Muhammad Khurshid, attended the meeting.

Lahore: Punjab Health Minister and Chairman of the Cabinet Committee for Disaster Management, Khawaja Salman Rafique, on Saturday said that advance preparations to effectively tackle urban and riverine floods are essential for protecting the lives and property of the people.

He expressed these views while addressing the Flood Fighting Equipment 2026 distribution ceremony held at the PDMA Warehouse, where modern rescue equipment was handed over to Rescue 1122.

Khawaja Salman Rafique said that, in line with the vision of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the Punjab government was continuing its mission of public service and investing in modern flood-fighting equipment to strengthen preparedness against future emergencies. He expressed confidence that Rescue 1122 would once again serve as a source of hope for citizens during difficult times.

He said the newly provided equipment symbolised responsibility and readiness to respond to every season, challenge and emergency situation. The minister added that the government had prioritised strengthening river embankments, cleaning drains, improving drainage systems, removing encroachments and installing backup power systems for drainage pumps in low-lying areas.

Highlighting reforms under the provincial government, he said several projects had been completed to enhance emergency services, including the launch of an air ambulance service, expansion of Rescue 1122 services to tehsil level, motorway rescue coverage, a dead body transfer service, an Emergency Medical Technician internship programme, collaboration with Rescue Australia and the provision of modern rescue equipment.

Khawaja Salman Rafique said that the Punjab government had equipped Rescue 1122 with the latest urban search and rescue tools and personal protective equipment, including underwater rescue facilities, modern motorboats, life jackets, scuba diving gear and fast rescue equipment to ensure effective responses to floods, fires and other emergencies in both urban and remote areas.

Paying tribute to rescue personnel, he said Rescue 1122 officials and workers were the true heroes of the nation for risking their lives to save others. He added that relief materials worth millions of rupees had been provided to the department and appreciated the performance of PDMA under DG Umar Javed and the contributions of Secretary Emergency Services Department Dr. Rizwan Naseer.

The minister said that Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif personally monitored the flood situation during 2025, while senior officials remained active in the field for 25 consecutive days. He added that the government was improving communication systems and introducing drones to further strengthen rescue operations and save lives.

The flood rescue equipment distributed to Rescue 1122 includes boat-carrying trucks, aluminium air boats, fibreglass boats, inflatable boats, outboard motors, landing crafts, jet skis, water rescue drones, remote-controlled self-life buoys, surveillance drones, life jackets, digital base radios, digital base repeaters, digital manpack repeaters and other technical equipment.

Addressing the ceremony, Secretary Emergency Services Department Dr. Rizwan Naseer said that timely decision-making and evacuation during previous floods helped save countless lives. He said 2.6 million people and 2.1 million animals were shifted to safer locations, while more than 400,000 people were rescued by boats after floodwaters inundated affected areas. He urged citizens to take precautionary measures during the monsoon season, including regular inspection and repair of house roofs.

DG PDMA Umar Javed said that, following the directions of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, authorities had made even stronger preparations this year by mapping and documenting populations living near rivers and establishing additional warehouses across Punjab to facilitate faster and more effective rescue operations. He said the relief materials being distributed reflected the commitment of the provincial government to reaching people in need at the right time.

Lahore: Engineer Dr Badrul Islam on Saturday took charge as Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education( BISE) Lahore chairman, and took a round of all sections of the board.

Secretary Rizwan Nazir, Controller Examinations Tauseef-ur-Rehman accompanied him during the tour. The news board chief listened to problems of students and employees and issued orders for resolving these issues.

He said that all affairs of the board should be transparent and warned that laziness on the part of board employees would not be tolerated.

Lahore: On the instructions of Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat, a crackdown has been launched against unregistered private schools and academies. The District Education Authority has already issued notices to 744 private educational institutions for not registering. The minister said that the protection of lives of students is the top priority of the government, therefore, no private school or academy will be allowed to function without registration. He clarified that the safety of students will be ensured first, only after that educational activities will be allowed. According to the notices, all unregistered schools and academies have been given a final deadline of three days to complete their registration. The minister warned that strict legal action will be taken against institutions that do not register within the stipulated period under the zero tolerance policy. Sikandar Hayat said that registration of every private educational institution is mandatory under the Private Educational I
nstitutions Ordinance 1984 and running an institution without registration is a legal offence. He said that in case of violation, a fine of Rs 300,000 to Rs. 40,00000 can be imposed.

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.