Champions Trophy: 100 gamblers arrested during last week

Lahore: Lahore Police have conducted operations against gambling dens and online gambling in connection with the Champions Trophy matches, arresting 100 suspects and registering 21 cases over the past week.

This was stated by the spokesperson for Lahore Police in a statement issued on Monday. The spokesperson revealed that various operations against gambling in the past week led to the recovery of over 185,000 rupees from the arrested suspects. So far this year, 613 suspects have been arrested in gambling-related crackdowns, with 157 cases registered. The police have also recovered more than 3.536 million rupees wagered in gambling activities. By division, 228 suspects were arrested in City Division, 170 in Cantonment, 34 in Civil Lines, 33 in Sadar, 94 in Iqbal Town, and 54 in Model Town.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Bilal Siddique Kamyana stated that strict action against gambling is continued. He directed intelligence-based operations against gambling dens and online gambling and emphasized the use of advanced technology to curb online betting. He further instructed authorities to closely monitor social media applications promoting online gambling. He reaffirmed that gambling is a social menace and that police operations to eliminate it will continue on a priority basis.

Health minister meets Frontier Corps Balochistan officers

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Health and Emergency Services, Khawaja Salman Rafique, met with Junior Commissioned Officers of Frontier Corps Balochistan (North) at the Emergency Services Academy on Monday.

Secretary Emergency Services Punjab, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, was also present during the meeting. The Frontier Corps Balochistan personnel visited the Emergency Services Academy as part of their study tour, which included various institutions across Punjab.

Addressing the officers, the minister highlighted the significance of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) as one of Pakistan's most reputable institutions. "Our identity and our introduction is Pakistan, and we have been entrusted with the responsibility of serving its people," he stated. He praised Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, calling her a successful and popular leader and administrator. "Under her leadership, the Punjab government has set records of development within the first year," he added.

During the meeting, a Frontier Corps Balochistan officer presented a souvenir to Khawaja Salman Rafique as a gesture of goodwill. The visit reflected inter-provincial collaboration and knowledge-sharing in emergency response and public service sectors.

Mohmand Dam scheduled for completion in 2026-27

Lahore: Following diversion of River Swat in August last year, the construction work on all key sites of Mohmand Dam is progressing ahead at a good pace, while the project is expected to be completed in 2026-27.

Chairman WAPDA Engineer Lt Gen (Retd) Sajjad Ghani has visited Mohmand Dam Project and reviewed in detail the construction activities on Spillway, Upstream and Downstream Coffer Dams, Diversion Tunnels, Power House and Power Intake, according to WAPDA spokesman here Monday.

GM/PD along with the Consultants and the Contractors briefed the Chairman about the targets and the achievements on different work fronts of the Project. It was briefed that concreting on the Spillway is progressing ahead of schedule. Downstream Coffer Dam has reached the design height, while Upstream Coffer Dam will attain its maximum elevation of 414 meter above mean sea level in April this year. Excavation for construction of the Main Dam pit and side slopes stripping is also in progress. Excavation works for construction of the Power Tunnel, Penstocks and Manifold/Shaft Access Tunnels are also underway. Likewise, excavation for the Irrigation Tunnels and rock support works are also going on, while construction work on the left side Main Canal is also continuing.

Later, the Chairman also presided over a progress review meeting at the Project Office. Detailed deliberations were made during the meeting on various issues including quarry development, large scale triaxial machine testing, electrical and mechanical (E and M) design and manufacturing etc. Addressing the meeting, the Chairman underlined the significance of quarry development for construction of the Main Dam. He urged upon the Contractors to review the plan and deploy additional resources for much needed quarry development. He also directed the Project Management, the Consultants and the Contractors to adhere to the timeline for completion of the Project without compromising on the quality standard of works.

It is important to note that WAPDA is constructing Mohmand Dam Project across River Swat in Mohmand District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is the 5th highest concrete-face-rock-fill dam in the world. With a gross water storage capacity of 1.29 MAF, Mohmand Dam will irrigate 18,233 acres of new land in Mohmand and Charsadda, besides supplementing irrigation supplies to 160,000 acres of existing land. Installed power capacity of the Project stands at 800 MW with annual energy generation of 2.86 billion units. The Project will also provide 300 million gallons water per day to Peshawar for drinking purpose.

Health minister meets Frontier Corps Balochistan officers

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Health and Emergency Services, Khawaja Salman Rafique, met with Junior Commissioned Officers of Frontier Corps Balochistan (North) at the Emergency Services Academy on Monday.

Secretary Emergency Services Punjab, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, was also present during the meeting. The Frontier Corps Balochistan personnel visited the Emergency Services Academy as part of their study tour, which included various institutions across Punjab.

Addressing the officers, the minister highlighted the significance of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) as one of Pakistan's most reputable institutions. "Our identity and our introduction is Pakistan, and we have been entrusted with the responsibility of serving its people," he stated. He praised Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, calling her a successful and popular leader and administrator. "Under her leadership, the Punjab government has set records of development within the first year," he added.

During the meeting, a Frontier Corps Balochistan officer presented a souvenir to Khawaja Salman Rafique as a gesture of goodwill. The visit reflected inter-provincial collaboration and knowledge-sharing in emergency response and public service sectors.

Minister Mujtaba inaugurates Amir Road in Shad Bagh area

Lahore: Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman formally inaugurated the construction of the approximately five kilometer-long Amir Road in Shad Bagh, Constituency PP-148, along the drainage channel, here Monday.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, he highlighted that this road had long been in a state of disrepair, causing significant inconvenience to local residents due to its heavy usage. For the past 15 years, no attention was given to its maintenance. However, under the special directive of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the reconstruction of this road has now commenced, along with the repair and rehabilitation of roads throughout the constituency.

He stated that under CM Maryam Nawaz Sharif's Lahore Development Package, extensive infrastructure projects are underway across the city, including the renovation of roads, improvement of the sewerage system, and execution of other essential development projects at the local level. The finance minister expressed gratitude to the Chief Minister for allocating Rs 1.5 billion for PP-148 and Rs 3.5 billion for the MNAs' constituency, ensuring comprehensive development work.

A large number of local residents attended the inauguration and gave the finance minister a warm reception.

Addressing the gathering, Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman assured the public that by next year, no road in the area will be in a deteriorated condition, and all reconstruction work will be completed. Additionally, he pledged that the sewerage system will be fully operational, and there will be no non-functional tube wells.

The finance minister reaffirmed that under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Punjab government aims to transform North Lahore into a model urban area within the next two years. Criticizing past administrations, he remarked that those who came to power through election rigging in 2018 ignored the constituency's problems. "We have a five-year mandate, but we will resolve all local issues within two years," he vowed.

Health minister meets Frontier Corps Balochistan officers

Lahore: Punjab Minister for Health and Emergency Services, Khawaja Salman Rafique, met with Junior Commissioned Officers of Frontier Corps Balochistan (North) at the Emergency Services Academy on Monday.

Secretary Emergency Services Punjab, Dr. Rizwan Naseer, was also present during the meeting. The Frontier Corps Balochistan personnel visited the Emergency Services Academy as part of their study tour, which included various institutions across Punjab.

Addressing the officers, the minister highlighted the significance of Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) as one of Pakistan's most reputable institutions. "Our identity and our introduction is Pakistan, and we have been entrusted with the responsibility of serving its people," he stated. He praised Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, calling her a successful and popular leader and administrator. "Under her leadership, the Punjab government has set records of development within the first year," he added.

During the meeting, a Frontier Corps Balochistan officer presented a souvenir to Khawaja Salman Rafique as a gesture of goodwill. The visit reflected inter-provincial collaboration and knowledge-sharing in emergency response and public service sectors.