Category: Lahore

Lahore: The Director-General(DG) Punjab Food Authority(PFA) Asim Javed and Chief Executive Officer(CEO) of LESCO Engineer Shahid Haider on Friday distributed lunchboxes at the inauguration of the School Nutrition Program at WAPDA Girls High School in Shalimar.

Speaking at the event,DG Food Authority said that 8,500 children in government schools across Lahore are receiving lunchboxes on a daily basis as part of the initiative.These lunchboxes which include fortified bread,milk and dry fruits (nuts),aim to ensure children receive nutritious meals throughout the school week.

'Currently,we are providing nutritious lunchboxes for six days a week. This program was designed to combat malnutrition and stunting,' said Asim Javed.

The DG also highlighted the troubling statistics,revealing that 40% of children are suffering from stunting,28% are underweight, and 30% are shorter than the average height for their age. He further emphasized that according to the National Nutrition Survey,25% of children suffer from zinc deficiency and 30% are lacking iron in their diets.

Food insecurity was a significant issue in Pakistan,according to Asim Javed,and he called for a 'nutritional emergency' to address these challenges.'We are expanding this program to ensure the health of young girls and community nutrition initiatives will be launched soon.Parents will be given full awareness about the importance of nutrition for their children,' he added.

To date,over 10,000 children have been screened,with 700 children found to be severely affected by nutritional deficiencies.

The DG expressed concern that neglecting children's nutrition could not only stunt their physical growth but also hinder their mental development.

CEO LESCO,engineer Shahid expressed his gratitude towards DG PFA Asim and his team for including them in the program,emphasizing that healthy eating would lead to healthier childhoods for the children involved.

Lahore: Pakistan white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan has said that Pakistan may and may not revise the 15-men squad submitted to the cricket's governing body for the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 (CT 25) as the rules allow the change.

Defending the squad for the CT 25 during a pre-match press conference at the Gaddafi stadium here on Friday, Mohammad Rizwan said a balanced squad has been announced and he found no reason to change the already announced squad. He further said that the team has yet one match in the tri-nation series before the expiry of the deadline to submit a change.

The white-ball captain further said that the squad was picked keeping in view the weather and pitch conditions at this time of the year, adding that inclusion of one specialist spinner was due to the expected dew factor.

He said the eleven for the match is picked as per the demand of the pitch and not the prowess of the fast-bowling attack or the spin-bowling strength of a team.

He said the revamped Gaddafi stadium will pose a challenge in team selection as well as nothing can be predicted about the pitch condition as the match will be played here after a long time (the Pakistan and New Zealand fixture will be the first international match at the ground in 18 months). He said this is a new stadium and it is yet to be known how air and weather conditions affect the pitch.

On Faheem Ashraf, he said, Faheem's performance in the List A over the past years has been excellent and he was preferred to other fast-bowling all-rounders. He said Asharaf maintained a batting average of 46 during the past two years.

When confronted by a journalist on the batting average of Faheem Ashraf, he said the statistics were provided by team analyst Hassan Cheema.

He further said Khushdil Shah was picked for his effective left-arm orthodox bowling and excellent form with the bat, adding, the all-rounder did really well in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) recently. Rizwan also mentioned Khushdil's excellent performance in the domestic events last year.

On Saim Ayub, he said Saim Ayub is a complete package who would perform in all departments, be it bowling, batting or fielding. Adding that his absence has 'disturbed' team plans but the team will rise to the occasion.

On Fakhar Zaman, the captain said that the explosive opening batsman suffered from hyper thyroid condition and he was himself unaware of his condition. He said Fakhar Zaman overcame the illness and is fit now.

Lahore: Five people, including three police officials, have been arrested for allegedly impersonating FIA officials and extorting money from call centres.

According to the police, the accused received Rs. 500,000 in extortion from a digital marketing office located in Civil Lines. The accused withdrew Rs. 300,000 of the call centre staff from an ATM and received Rs 250,000 in cash along with five laptops.

The arrested officials include Shahid, posted at Police Training Centre Farooqabad and Usman in Model Town. The police registered a case of extortion and abuse of authority against the accused.

The Civil Lines police have recovered Rs 500,000 in cash from the accused and handed the amount over to the Investigation Wing. Police officials said that strict legal action would be taken against those involved in the heinous incident.

Lahore: In view of the upcoming Tri-Nation Cricket Series, ICC Champions Trophy, and National Horse and Cattle Show, IG Punjab Dr. Usman Anwar has directed an increase in search and combing operations across the province.

As part of this initiative, 427 search and combing operations were carried out across the province in the last 24 hours. During these operations, 17,207 individuals were interrogated, 160 suspects were arrested and 60 proclaimed offenders were apprehended.

Spokesperson for Punjab Police shared that in the past month, 12,128 search and combing operations were conducted across the province, including Lahore. Over 449,000 individuals were interrogated and 2,778 suspects were taken into custody. In addition, 342 pistols, 46 guns and 57 rifles were recovered from the possession of the suspects.

The IG Punjab has instructed continued acceleration of search, sweep, and intelligence-based combing operations. He directed that regular search and combing operations be conducted daily at sensitive locations, educational institutions, bus terminals, hotels, and inns, with a focus on bringing social enemies involved in illegal activities to justice and ensuring they receive appropriate punishment.

Lahore: On the occasion of the 16th anniversary of the martyrdom of 6 police officers from Mianwali, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab, Dr. Usman Anwar, paid glowing tribute to the police martyrs and saluted the great sons who laid down their lives in the line of duty, as well as their families.

The IG Punjab, while paying tribute to the Mianwali police martyrs, said that the memory of these martyrs will always remain fresh in their hearts.

He further added, "Punjab Police is a force that carries the legacy of over 1650 martyrs and we will never forget their immortal sacrifices." Every soldier of Punjab Police stands as a strong wall in the defense of the country and in the fight against terrorists, he added.

He emphasized that the welfare of the families of police martyrs is a priority, and all possible efforts are being made for their well-being.

In 2009, on this very day, 6 officers and personnel of Punjab Police sacrificed their lives in a suicide bombing while on the duty. Among the martyrs were 01 ASI, 01 Head Constable and 04 Constables.

Lahore: The Punjab government is transitioning property taxation from an annual rental value system to a capital value-based model as part of its broader economic reform agenda.

The initiative aims to expand the tax net, increase revenue, and ensure the province's financial self-sufficiency.

Parliamentary Secretary for Excise and Taxation Punjab, Shehryar Malik, announced the shift during a training workshop organised by the Punjab Excise and Taxation Department at the Punjab Civil Officers Mess (PCOM) Club. He stated that under the new system, property tax assessments will be based on valuation tables (DC Tables) formulated by the Board of Revenue. This reform is expected to bring an additional one million property units into the tax net, generating an estimated seven billion rupees in revenue.

The event was attended by key officials, including Director General Excise and Taxation Umar Sher Chatha, departmental directors, Excise and Taxation Officers (ETOs), inspectors, and senior representatives from the Punjab Urban Unit.

Speaking at the workshop, DG Excise and Taxation Umar Sher Chatha highlighted the significance of these reforms in establishing a transparent and efficient taxation system. He urged department officers and staff to ensure the effective implementation of the new taxation model to strengthen Punjab's economy.

A technical team from the Punjab Urban Unit provided an in-depth briefing on the operational aspects of the transition. They emphasised that shifting to a capital value-based taxation system is a historic step that will improve tax collection efficiency and enhance provincial resources.