Category: Lahore

Lahore: The much-anticipated Faiz Festival commenced at the Alhamra Arts Council on Friday, drawing a large audience of literature and art enthusiasts.

The opening ceremony featured prominent personalities, including Professor Salima Hashmi, Chairman Alhamra Razi Ahmed, Executive Director Alhamra Syed Tauqeer Haider Kazmi, Nandita Das, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, Atul Tiwari, and several others. The event was hosted by Amna Ali.

Renowned artist Adeel Hashmi inaugurated the festival with a poignant recitation of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poetry, setting the tone for the literary and cultural celebrations. Moneeza Hashmi was also present on the occasion, adding to the festival's significance.

Chairman Faiz Ghar, Salima Hashmi, extended a warm welcome to the guests and expressed her gratitude to the audience for their enthusiastic participation. She emphasized the importance of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poetry in contemporary times. Chairman Alhamra Razi Ahmed highlighted that Faiz's poetry has become a tradition and a source of inspiration, reflecting both the poet's personality and the era he lived in. Executive Director Alhamra Tauqeer Haider echoed similar sentiments, stating that the immense public interest in the festival reaffirms the deep emotional connection people have with Faiz's work.

The Alhamra Arts Council has been beautifully adorned to host the festival, which will span three days. Various programs, including literary discussions, artistic exhibitions, and cultural performances, will take place across different venues such as halls, galleries, lawns, and open spaces.

Atul Tiwari, expressing his admiration for Lahore, described it as one of the subcontinent's most beautiful cities and conveyed heartfelt greetings from Lucknow to its residents. Celebrated Indian actress and filmmaker Nandita Das shared her excitement about attending the festival, calling it a wonderful opportunity to connect with new friends.

Lahore: A meeting on the ongoing programmes of the Punjab Social Protection Authority (PSPA) was held under the chairmanship of PSPA Vice Chairperson Jahan Ara Manzoor Wattoo.

The meeting was attended by PSPA officials, including Deputy CEO Syed Asif Hussain Shah. During the meeting, the VC was briefed on the progress of various PSPA programmes.

She appreciated the performance of the "Nayi Zindagi" and "Masawaat" programmes, stating that despite limited resources, the initiatives have had a significant and lasting positive impact due to their effective strategies. However, she emphasised the need for a well-organised and integrated strategy to further enhance the effectiveness of key programs like "Humqadam" and "Bahimat Buzurg."

Jahan Ara directed the launch of a comprehensive awareness campaign to increase registrations under the "Humqadam" programme. She stressed that although district committees have already been established across the province, necessary changes should be made to strengthen their structure. This would streamline the registration process, address payment-related issues faced by beneficiaries on an urgent basis, and ensure timely assistance to deserving individuals.

Acknowledging the efforts of the PSPA team, Jahan Ara Manzoor Wattoo stated that individual success is collective success, while any failure would be a shared setback. She urged the team to prioritise the "Bahimat Buzurg" and "Humqadam" programmes so that the maximum number of deserving individuals can benefit from these initiatives.

Lahore: The much-anticipated Faiz Festival commenced at the Alhamra Arts Council on Friday, drawing a large audience of literature and art enthusiasts.

The opening ceremony featured prominent personalities, including Professor Salima Hashmi, Chairman Alhamra Razi Ahmed, Executive Director Alhamra Syed Tauqeer Haider Kazmi, Nandita Das, Mehtab Akbar Rashdi, Atul Tiwari, and several others. The event was hosted by Amna Ali.

Renowned artist Adeel Hashmi inaugurated the festival with a poignant recitation of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poetry, setting the tone for the literary and cultural celebrations. Moneeza Hashmi was also present on the occasion, adding to the festival's significance.

Chairman Faiz Ghar, Salima Hashmi, extended a warm welcome to the guests and expressed her gratitude to the audience for their enthusiastic participation. She emphasized the importance of Faiz Ahmed Faiz's poetry in contemporary times. Chairman Alhamra Razi Ahmed highlighted that Faiz's poetry has become a tradition and a source of inspiration, reflecting both the poet's personality and the era he lived in. Executive Director Alhamra Tauqeer Haider echoed similar sentiments, stating that the immense public interest in the festival reaffirms the deep emotional connection people have with Faiz's work.

The Alhamra Arts Council has been beautifully adorned to host the festival, which will span three days. Various programs, including literary discussions, artistic exhibitions, and cultural performances, will take place across different venues such as halls, galleries, lawns, and open spaces.

Atul Tiwari, expressing his admiration for Lahore, described it as one of the subcontinent's most beautiful cities and conveyed heartfelt greetings from Lucknow to its residents. Celebrated Indian actress and filmmaker Nandita Das shared her excitement about attending the festival, calling it a wonderful opportunity to connect with new friends.

Lahore: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday indicted 31 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and workers in two cases related to the torching of a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) office during the May 9 riots.

ATC Judge Arshad Javed conducted the trial proceedings, during which incarcerated PTI leaders Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, and Senator Ijaz Chaudhry were produced before the court. PTI social media activist Sanam Javed and other accused, who were out on bail, also appeared and marked their attendance.

The court formally charged the PTI leaders and workers during the proceedings. However, all the accused denied the charges and expressed their intention to contest them.

Subsequently, the court summoned prosecution witnesses to present their testimony at the next hearing, scheduled for February 20. The court also announced that further trial proceedings would be held at Kot Lakhpat Jail.

The Model Town police had registered two FIRs, 366/23 and 367/23, against PTI leaders and workers over the torching of the PML-N office in Model Town during the May 9 riots.

Lahore: The Punjab government has introduced the Punjab Forensic Science Authority Act 2024 in the Punjab Assembly, marking a significant step towards modernising forensic investigation systems in the province.

A spokesperson for the Home Department Punjab said on Friday that under the proposed Act, the Punjab Forensic Science Agency will be elevated to the status of an Authority. The Punjab Forensic Science Authority Act 2024 provides a detailed definition of forensic material. Under this Act, a globally recognised forensic science institution will be granted autonomy as an Authority. The Punjab Forensic Science Authority will be equipped with modern tools in line with the latest field requirements.

A special fund will also be established under the proposed Act for the "Punjab Forensic Science Authority." The chief minister Punjab will serve as the chairperson of the Authority and will appoint a vice-chairperson. Members of the Authority will include the secretary of Home Department, secretary Finance, secretary Law, secretary Planning and Development, secretary Public Prosecution, inspector general of Punjab Police, director general Forensic Science Authority and a expert each from the fields of audio-visual analysis, computer forensics, criminology, molecular sciences and pathology.

According to the Act, the government of Punjab will appoint forensic experts as Authority members for a term of five years. Under the new law, modern technology and equipment will enable forensic examination of all types of materials, documents and individuals brought in for forensic analysis. The Forensic Science Authority will present expert opinions and reports before relevant courts, tribunals and institutions.

Following the approval of the Punjab Forensic Science Authority Act 2024, the Punjab Forensic Science Agency Act 2007 will be deemed repealed. The spokesperson added that the Provincial Cabinet has already approved the Punjab Forensic Science Authority Act 2024. He further mentioned that the Act has been referred to the Special Committee on Home Affairs of the Punjab Assembly.

Lahore: In line with Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif's safe Punjab vision, Punjab Police is continuing its crackdown against dangerous habitual and proclaimed offenders.

In this effort, 16,290 proclaimed offenders wanted in serious crimes have been arrested across the province, including Lahore, during the current year. According to the details, among the arrested proclaimed offenders, 5055 are in Category A and 11235 in Category B. Additionally, Punjab Police has arrested 6690 judicial absconders. Among the arrested criminals, 1255 belong to Category A and 5435 to Category B judicial absconders. During the operations, 3,820 target offenders (habitual criminals) were also arrested, including 1595 in Category A and 2225 in Category B. Six proclaimed offenders wanted in serious crimes were arrested from abroad and extradited to Pakistan. Punjab Police spokesperson informed that in the provincial capital Lahore, more than 3440 proclaimed offenders were arrested this year, including 2815 judicial absconders and over 1680 target offenders (habitual criminals). Last year, over 140,000 proclaimed offenders, 67,825 judicial absconders, and 36,491 target offenders (habitual criminals) were arrested.

IG Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar praised the police teams for their successful operations and directed them to further intensify the crackdown. He emphasized that through effective investigations, cases should be completed quickly and criminals should be given appropriate punishments. The RPOs and DPOs should personally monitor the crackdown and targeted operations against dangerous criminals.