Six of these units would be dedicated for addressing issues faced by women, the statement quoted Punjab Home Secretary Ahmad Javed Qazi as saying during a briefing on the initiative.

“Under the operational framework, each mobile police station will be headed by a sub-inspector, supported by a field supervisor, a senior station assistant and male and female constables,” the statement said.

The relevant station house officer (SHO) and beat officer would remain present in the field to oversee operations in line with standard operating procedures (SOPs), it added.

The mobile units would deliver 14 key police services, ranging from the registration of first information reports (FIRs) and online e-tagging to tenant registration, employee verification and criminal record checks.

“Citizens lodging complaints for FIRs will be provided with an immediate online e-tag for subsequent tracking.”

They would also be able to report lost documents, such as national identity cards and chequebooks, directly through these units, it said.

“Additionally, the mobile stations will facilitate the public in obtaining character certificates alongside [providing] comprehensive driving licence services, including the issuance of learner permits, renewals, duplicate licences and international driving permits.”

The statement said the vans would visit universities and women’s colleges according to a fixed schedule and “further deployment will be dynamically mapped based on real-time crime data and calls received on the emergency police helpline 15”.

“To ensure public awareness, the itinerary of the vans will be disseminated via social media platforms, supplemented by local announcements from neighbourhood mosques prior to a unit’s arrival in a specific area,” it added.

The statement said that senior station assistants would manage all IT operations, digital database entries, and online tracking while constables would assist in guiding visitors.

As CM Maryam inaugurated the service, she inspected one of the newly launched units, reviewed its operational capabilities and interacted with the on-duty personnel, it added.

“This initiative will help bridge the divide between the public and the police while saving citizens valuable time and travel expenses, especially those residing in far-flung and underserved areas,” the statement quoted her as saying.

She added that specialised staff had been assigned to the ‘Pink Mobile Police Stations’ to handle sensitive cases involving harassment, domestic violence, and offences against women and children with empathy and privacy.

Lahore celebrated the Basant festival earlier this year from Feb 6 to 8 after an 18-year hiatus.

The festival was banned in 2007 because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders, as well as by celebratory gunfire.

During a meeting, the chief minister directed the authorities to make arrangements for the 10-day celebration, according to a statement released by the government.

She described the festival as a gift for the people of Lahore to mark the arrival of 2027 and as a means of promoting Punjab’s cultural heritage and the historic traditions of the provincial capital.

Under the schedule approved by the chief minister, Basant festivities will begin on Jan 29 and continue until Feb 7. However, celebrations will remain suspended on Feb 5 to observe Kashmir Day.

“Ten-day Basant will promote Punjab’s cultural colours and Lahore’s centuries-old traditions across the world,” CM Maryam was quoted as saying.

According to the statement, the chief minister directed the administration to ensure better arrangements for public safety and convenience than those made during the previous festival.

She also appealed to citizens to celebrate responsibly, saying the authorities and the public should set a new example through a sense of duty, responsibility and commitment to protecting human lives.

CM Maryam directed the relevant departments to begin preparations well in advance and ensure that the extended festivities did not compromise public safety, the statement said.

She stressed that the success of the 10-day event would depend on strict adherence to safety regulations and responsible behaviour by citizens.

“The chief minister said Lahore’s cultural identity and traditions should be promoted while ensuring that celebrations remained safe and convenient for residents and visitors,” the statement concluded.

In August, CM Maryam announced that the festival would be held from Mar 12 to 14, 2027. However, in the latest announcement, the government has revised the schedule.

The Punjab government, in May, had also announced a new set of rules and regulations for kite-flying during next year’s Basant festival.

The 20-year-old Azerbaijan national had travelled to Pakistan for business purposes and was allegedly gang-raped by three men in a rented flat of a private housing society located near Raiwind on the night between Sept 25 and Sept 26.

In her statement, the complainant had named two women with whom she had met before the men accused of raping her joined them. Two of those men had been arrested and were sent on a six-day physical remand on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the woman suspect was produced before Judicial Magistrate Azhar Mahmood at the Cantonment Courts under strict security.

A prosecutor informed the court that it would be her first physical remand and argued that, being a woman, she could be kept in jail during her physical remand.

A counsel for the suspect, however, contended that her relationship with the complainant was limited to friendship.

He argued that physical remand of a woman could not be sought except in offences of murder or robbery.

The counsel further submitted that nothing was required to be recovered from the suspect.

The magistrate asked the suspect whether she wanted to undergo a medical examination.

“No, I do not want to undergo a medical examination,” she replied.

The magistrate then allowed a three-day physical remand of the suspect to the police.

The magistrate directed that the woman suspect would remain in police custody from sunrise to sunset and, for rest, would remain in jail in judicial custody.

On Tuesday, a session’s court granted interim pre-arrest bail to the second female suspect in the case, restraining police from arresting her till Oct 5.

The woman’s lawyer said her client wanted to join the police investigation to prove her innocence.

Survivor’s statement

The Defence C police had registered a case against three unidentified suspects on September 26 on the survivor’s complaint.

In her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the Azeri woman said she had arrived in Islamabad from Istanbul on Sept 13 and stayed in Faisalabad for five days before travelling to Lahore.

“I had a plan to visit Skardu, but I could not go there because I was alone,” she said.

According to her, on the day of the alleged incident, she messaged two women, asking them to meet her in Lahore.

At around 11pm, she went to a cafe where she met one of them — the woman sent on remand today — and later accompanied her to a house in Bahria Town to meet the other, who has secured pre-arrest bail.

The complainant told the magistrate that at around 2am, a white car arrived carrying two men, one of whom was sent on remand on Tuesday (first suspect).

Later, they moved to an apartment where two more men arrived, one of whom was the second person sent on remand (second suspect), while she did not know the name of the other man.

According to the complainant, in a separate room, the woman on bail took between Rs20,000 and Rs30,000 from the first suspect, saying the money was for a party, while the woman now on remand also joined them.

The Azeri woman said she made it clear that she “did not need money or alcohol”. She alleged that the first suspect tried to touch her and locked her in a separate room.

When she asked about her friends, she was told that they had left. When she tried to leave, the complainant said she was told that she could not go because her friends had taken money.

The victim said she offered to pay the men, but they told her that she would have to drink alcohol with them before they would let her go.

She alleged that the three men raped her.

She further stated that the suspects then put her in a car and threw her out at an unknown location, while threatening her with dire consequences if she approached the police.

According to her statement, the suspects also took her handbag containing Rs200,000, an iPhone 13 Pro Max and another mobile phone.

She then requested some people present there to help her call the police emergency number 15, following which the police arrived.

It is the second such case in which a foreign woman was reportedly gang-raped in the Defence C police station area during the last four months.

In June, two foreign women, nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela, were allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted in the Defence C police station area.

According to the FIR, the women were abducted by five suspects, including a close relative of a senior political personality, who demanded ransom and subjected them to sexual assault during their captivity.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) produced the 17-year-old suspect before Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo on the completion of his three-day physical remand.

The magistrate asked the investigating officer (IO) whether the suspect’s father had any objection to the case.

The officer replied that the father of the suspect had no objection. He also informed the magistrate that the teenager was his parents’ only son.

He said the father told the investigators that his son, a second-year student in Bahawalpur, used to conduct various kinds of research.

The IO said the physical custody of the suspect was no longer required.

At this, the magistrate sent the suspect to jail on a 14-day judicial remand and directed the IO to submit a charge-sheet within the stipulated time.

‘Breaking Bad’

The NCCIA arrested the teenager on Sep 23. The agency said at the time that the suspect had reportedly developed strained relations with his father and allegedly planned to kill him following a disagreement.

During the investigation, authorities learned that the teenager had developed an interest in chemistry after watching the American crime drama ‘Breaking Bad’. He had reportedly set up a small laboratory at home to conduct chemical experiments, the NCCIA spokesperson said.

The suspect allegedly obtained chemical material from Australia and Islamabad and concocted a substance at home with the intention of poisoning his father. He reportedly administered the substance to his father on one occasion, but the attempt was not successful, the spokesperson said.

Subsequently, the teenager allegedly sought further guidance from AI, asking how to administer a poison capable of causing his father’s death without detection, he added.

The spokesperson said the Punjab NCCIA received the information about the suspect through an automated system. Following this, NCCIA Punjab Director Hissam Bin Iqbal directed the formation of a team to investigate the matter.

The team later conducted an operation in Bahawalpur and arrested the suspect. Further investigation had been initiated to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, the nature of the chemicals involved and the suspect’s online activities, the spokesperson said.

AI chatbots and agents have been linked to cases of harm and death, leading to concerns about their usage and the imposition of tighter regulations and controls.

The Euro­pean Union last month introduced sweeping laws that give it the power to enfo­rce landmark AI rules and to fine any companies that break the law. Pakistan has also previously called for the use of AI to be regulated by the United Nations charter.

Last year, American artificial intelligence firm OpenAI said it would add parental controls to its chatbot ChatGPT after an American couple said the system had encouraged their teenage son to kill himself.

According to a spokesperson for the Punjab Home Department, organisers will be responsible for ensuring the safe use of drones during indoor events.

Intelligence and law enforcement agencies have been exempted from the ban, according to a notification issued by the department.

The spokesperson said district-level “Safe Drone Usage Committees” had been established to regulate drone use. Written permission for drone flights for agricultural, irrigation and research purposes would be granted by the respective committees.

Drone flights conducted with written permission from the relevant committee would be exempt from the general ban.

The notification, issued by the secretary home under Section 144(6) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, directs all district administrations and police across the province to ensure strict implementation of the orders.

The spokesperson said public safety, maintenance of law and order, and protection of public and private property remained the government’s foremost priorities.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026

Judge Malik Abid Hussain heard the bail petition and arguments from the lawyers. The petitioner’s counsel stated that his client had been implicated in the case on political ground. He said the petitioner was not even present at the alleged occurrence.

However, the investigating officer told the court that Dewan was present at the scene at the time of the incident and there was substantial evidence against him.

The judge dismissed the petition, relying on the arguments and evidence of the prosecution.

Dewan was arrested in a case involving speeches, attacks and vandalism at Sherpao Bridge during the May 9 riots.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026

The notice, issued by Kilam Law-Barristers & Legal Consultants, states that Safdar, speaking publicly outside the Supreme Court on or about Sept 23, alleged that Bhoon’s LLB qualification was fake.

It says the remarks were subsequently circulated on social media and repeated by Safdar in further media appearances and video messages, without what the notice describes as any supporting proof.

The notice sets out Bhoon’s professional record, including enrolment as an advocate of the lower courts in 1989, as an advocate of the high court in 1992, and as an advocate of the Supreme Court in 2003, alongside terms as president of the Lahore High Court Bar Association, a judge of the Lahore High Court from 2008 to 2009, and multiple terms on the Pakistan Bar Council, including his recent fifth consecutive election to the Council for 2026–2030.

Move follows PML-N leader’s allegation that the lawyer has a fake LLB degree

Interestingly, the senior partner of the Kilam firm that served the notice, represents former prime minister Imran Khan and his sisters in the Anti-Terrorism Court of Rawalpindi.

“Your statements are not being treated by Our Client as political rhetoric, casual commentary or some inconsequential exchange before the media,” reads the notice, a copy available with Dawn. “You chose to make assertions which strike directly at the legal foundation upon which a lawyer is admitted to practice.”

Bhoon, who heads Independent Group (famously known as Asma Jahangir group), is also a former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association and a sitting member of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan as a nominee of the bar.

The notice calls on Safdar to withdraw and retract the allegations within seven days, issue a public apology with equivalent prominence to the original statements, and cease further circulation of the claims. It also demands Safdar to pay a sum of Rs5bn as damages to Bhoon, a close fellow of Federal Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.

In case of failure, it states, defamation proceedings — including under the Punjab Defamation Act, 2024 for the recovery of the damages — as well as possible criminal proceedings will be initiated.The controversy erupted on Sept 23 when Safdar, while speaking to the media outside Parliament House, questioned the authenticity of Bhoon’s LLB degree.

In a series of statements, Safdar has defended his campaign to demand verification of lawyers’ degrees, saying: “It is my right to demand that those who shape people’s destinies show their degrees.”

Safdar has also alleged that Supreme Court lawyer Amjad Shah, contesting the election for president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, holds a fake degree.

“The case against Amjad Shah has moved from the High Court to the Constitutional Court,” he claimed, adding that he will file a petition in the Supreme Court and then proceed to the Constitutional Court.

“If the lawyer produces his degree, the issue will be resolved. If the lawyers show their degrees, I will apologise to them,” Safdar said.

Regarding Bhoon, Safdar claimed that a petition against him had been filed with the Judicial Commission. He also stated that he had filed a complaint regarding cybercrime and approached certain courts and that he would submit a request for an early hearing to the Constitutional Court. The legal notice challenges Safdar to produce proof of his claim against Bhoon, asking him to identify the university record, the determination of the Higher Education Commission, or any judgment from a competent court that declared Bhoon’s degree fake.

“What, precisely, was your proof?” the notice asks. “You announced first and sought verification afterwards.”

According to the notice, Bhoon obtained his LLB from the University of the Punjab under Roll Number 828 in March 1989. His credentials were formally verified by the university’s Controller of Examinations as recently as Jan 21, 2026, in connection with the Pakistan Bar Council electoral process, with the status expressly recorded as “Verified”.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026

Supreme Court’s lawyers – Sheraz Zaka and Moin Akhtar – who filed the appeal in person, have urged the FCC to set aside the registrar’s order and order fixing hearing of their petition.

The appellants contend that the registrar’s office cannot determine questions of maintainability, locus standi or availability of an alternative remedy through an administrative order.

They said such issues are judicial questions to be decided by the court after hearing the petitioners. They relied on a 2022 Supreme Court judgement in support of their contention.

The main petition, which was dismissed by the registrar, sought directions to the relevant authorities to take legislative and regulatory measures to restrict social media access for children under 16 and to perform their statutory obligations.

The lawyers argue that the matter involves public importance and fundamental rights, including the rights to life, dignity and education and the state’s obligation to protect children.

The appellants maintain that children are being exposed to harmful and age-inappropriate content, cyber bullying, exploitation and compulsive design features without effective safeguards.

They argue that the petition is maintainable in the public interest because it concerns a large and vulnerable class unable to approach the court independently.

They also contend that the availability of an alternative remedy does not bar the FCC’s jurisdiction where fundamental rights and questions of public importance are involved.

They have requested the FCC to set aside the registrar’s order and direct that the constitutional petition be heard on merits.

The appeal has been filed at the Lahore registry through an advocate on record.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026

The arrested activists belong to the group led by MNA Tariq Bashir Cheema, the father of Wali Dad, who contested the by-poll as an independent candidate against the PML-N nominee Malik Munir Iqbal Channar, who emerged as the winner. Cheema’s supporters have been lodged in the Central Jail, Bahawalpur.

According to official sources, the deputy commissioner issued the detention order under Section 3(1) of the Maintenance of Public Order(MPO) Ordinance, 1960.

A clash had occurred on Sept 11 during the election campaign between the supporters of Mr Cheema and Mr Channar, and both sides had lodged FIRs against each other. However, the police had arrested 10 supporters of Mr Cheema.

The deputy commissioner has cited the maintenance of law and order as the reason for their detention.

Those detained also include some PPP activists, who had joined Cheema’s camp against the party’s decision to support Channar.

SEARCH OPERATION: Rescue 1122 teams are looking for an elderly man, who had allegedly jumped into the Yazman Canal, along with his wife, for an unknown reason.

The woman managed to swim back to the canal bank, while her elderly husband disappeared in the water, the rescuers said, quoting locals.

As per Rescue 1122, Yousaf Ali (75), along with his wife Saeeda, had gone to the Yazman Canal on Tuesday in a rickshaw. The couple allegedly jumped into the canal, apparently to end their lives.

Yousaf’s son told the rescuers that his father was mentally challenged.

On being called by locals, Rescue 1122 teams reached the spot and launched a search operation to trace the elderly man, who is feared drowned.

The search operation was underway till the filing of this report.

Police say they are investigating why the couple jumped into the canal.

ARTS COUNCIL BUILDING: The construction of the state-of-the-art building of the Punjab Arts Council (PAC), Bahawalpur, will be completed soon at a costof over Rs470 million near Seraiki Chowk.

This was stated by Bahawalpur Arts Council Director Dr Nasir Hamid during a briefing to Commissioner Irfan Ali Kathia, who inspected the under-construction building here on Tuesday.

According to the director,work on the tiled flooring, false ceiling, and sanitary fittings has been completed in the basement of the three-storey building, while on the first and second floors, work isin full swing.

The commissioner directed the building department officials to complete the work at the earliest so that cultural and entertainment activities could be started in the building.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2026

The 20-year-old Azerbaijan national had travelled to Pakistan for business purposes and was allegedly gang-raped by three men in a rented flat of a private housing society located near Raiwind on the night between Friday and Saturday.

One of the prime suspects had been arrested on Monday, while another’s arrest surfaced on Tuesday. According to Lahore Deputy Inspector General (Investigation) Zeeshan Raza, police had identified the third suspect and were conducting raids to trace him.

On Tuesday, the police produced the two arrested men before Magistrate Azhar Mahmood at Cantonment Courts.

The investigating officer sought their 14-day physical remand for interrogation, collection of evidence and DNA examination.

However, the magistrate approved a six-day physical remand of the suspects.

Separately, a session’s court granted interim pre-arrest bail to a female suspect in the case, restraining police from arresting her till Oct 5.

The Azeri woman had mentioned in her application to the police that two women had approached her for dinner and later they went to a cafe, where the three men accused of raping her had met them.

One of the two women who allegedly approached the victim appeared before the court along with her lawyer on Tuesday.

The lawyer argued that his client had been implicated in the case with mala fide intention. He said she wanted to join police investigation to prove her innocence.

He further expressed fear that she would be arrested and requested the court to approve are pre-arrest bail.

The court granted the suspect bail till Oct 5, with the directive to join the police investigation before the next hearing.

Woman says suspects told her to drink alcohol

The judicial proceedings came a day after the foreign woman recorded her statement before Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Sagheer under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Police Sub-Inspector Faryal Malik, the investigating officer, had produced the woman before the magistrate under strict security arrangements.

In her statement, a copy of which is available with Dawn, the woman said she had arrived in Islamabad from Istanbul on Sept 13 and stayed in Faisalabad for five days before travelling to Lahore.

“I had a plan to visit Skardu, but I could not go there because I was alone,” she said.

According to her, on the day of the alleged incident, she messaged two women, asking them to meet her in Lahore. At around 11pm, she went to a cafe where she met one of them and later accompanied her to a house in Bahria Town to meet the other.

The complainant told the magistrate that at around 2am, a white car arrived carrying two men, one of whom was sent on remand on Tuesday (first suspect).

Later, they moved to an apartment where two more men arrived, one of whom was the second person sent on remand (second suspect), while she did not know the name of the other man.

According to the complainant, in a separate room, one of the women took between Rs20,000 and Rs30,000 from the first suspect, saying the money was for a party, while the second woman also joined them.

The Azeri woman said she made it clear that she “did not need money or alcohol”. She alleged that the first suspect tried to touch her and locked her in a separate room.

When she asked about her friends, she was told that they had left. When she tried to leave, the complainant said she was told that she could not go because her friends had taken money.

The victim said she offered to pay the men, but they told her that she would have to drink alcohol with them before they would let her go.

She alleged that the three men raped her.

She further stated that the suspects then put her in a car and threw her out at an unknown location, while threatening her with dire consequences if she approached the police.

According to her statement, the suspects also took her handbag containing Rs200,000, an iPhone 13 Pro Max and another mobile phone.

She then requested some people present there to help her call the police emergency number 15, following which the police arrived.

The case

The Defence C police had registered a case against three unidentified suspects on Sept 26 on the woman’s complaint.

Police had also taken two close relatives and a domestic servant of one of the suspects into custody. The vehicle allegedly used in the incident had also been taken into custody.

On Sunday, Lahore police had requested federal authorities to place the names of the three prime suspects in the case on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), saying they had fled Lahore shortly after the alleged assault.

It is the second such case in which a foreign woman was reportedly gang-raped in the Defence C police station area during the last four months.

In June, two foreign women, nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela, were allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted in the Defence C police station area.

According to the FIR, the women were abducted by five suspects, including a close relative of a senior political personality, who demanded ransom and subjected them to sexual assault during their captivity.

As per a statement from Murree police, the incident occurred near the Bara Hotar Link Road, where a Suzuki Bolan carrying school children veered off the road and caught fire.

“Upon receiving news of the incident, police and rescue teams immediately arrived at the scene,” it said, adding that the children were rescued and rushed to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital.

According to an incident report issued by the THQ Hospital and a copy of which is available with Dawn, 12 individuals, including two adults and ten children aged five to 14, were brought to the hospital, with 10 of them having burns of varying degrees.

Three of the children suffered severe burn injuries, with one sustaining burns to 42 per cent of the body, while the other two suffered burns to 38pc and 26pc, respectively, the report said.

Murree police said the cause of the incident had not yet been ascertained and that necessary legal action would be taken.

According to the statement, Murree District Police Officer Raza Tanveer Sipra visited the hospital to inquire after the injured children.

“We are maintaining constant contact to ensure the provision of the best possible medical care to the injured children and treatment for those who have been referred,” DPO Sipra was quoted as saying.

In an earlier statement, Rescue 1122 said that passengers, mostly schoolchildren, were safely evacuated from the vehicle and sustained only minor injuries. However, the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz sought a report into the incident and took notice of the “vehicle overloading and lack of adequate fire safety measures”, state broadcaster PTV reported.

Earlier this year, eight students were injured when a school van caught fire while moving along Karachi’s Shah Faisal Colony flyover. In February, a schoolgirl was killed, and six others were injured when their van was hit by a dumper in Okara.

In March, two teenage sisters in Karachi died after suffering burn wounds when a fire erupted in their family van.

The bench comprising Justice Sadiq Mahmud Khurram and Justice Muhammad Jawad Zafar was hearing an appeal against sentence filed by Taimoor Raza through Advocate Asad Jamal.

Previously, the appeal was pending at the Bahawalpur bench of the LHC. However, it was transferred to the principal seat on the request of the appellant counsel about a year ago.

On Monday, Justice Khurram directed the prosecution to come up with its arguments on the questions raised in the appeal on the alleged contradiction in the evidence including electronic i.e. Facebook pages presented before the trial court.

The appellant’s counsel requested the bench to adjourn the hearing for a short date.

The bench is yet to announce the next date of hearing.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Bahawalpur had registered the FIR in 2016 under section 298A of Pakistan Penal Code, which criminalises the use of derogatory remarks, spoken or written words that defile the sacred names of holy personages, including the wives, family members, righteous Caliphs, or companions of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), and section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.

However, an antiterrorism court had in 2017 sentenced Raza to death for offence under 295-C (the use of derogatory remarks against the Holy Prophet (PBUH) punishable by death or imprisonment for life).

The defence alleged that the FIR was registered against Raza when a case for his abduction had been lodged in Lahore by his family.

It alleged that Raza was abducted from his office where he worked as office assistant and taken to Bahawalpur and was roped in the case.

The appeal argued that the trial court failed to refer to any evidence, which could form the basis of which the charge under section 295-C was made against the appellant.

It said the prosecution procured an opinion from so-called religious scholars who never testified in the trial court and were never cross-examined.

It argued that no independent witness was engaged or joined the investigation against the appellant.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026

Rani Bibi, daughter of Muhammad Azam and a resident of Kot Momin, Sargodha, had gone to visit her cousin, Sumera Bibi, at village Bhabhrana in the Kandiwal police station area of Lalian tehsil.

The two girls went to faith healer Pir Allah Ditta in the village for spiritual treatment.

According to the complainant, the faith healer took Rani to a separate room, where he allegedly punched and beat her with a stick on her face and other parts of her body.

The girl sustained serious injuries and fell unconscious, while her clothes were also torn during the alleged assault.

When Rani did not come out of the room, her cousin pushed the door open and found her lying unconscious.

She raised an alarm, following which relatives reached the spot and shifted the injured girl to a hospital.

Police also reached the scene after receiving information, but the suspect had fled before their arrival.

Kandiwal police have registered a case under Sections 354, 506, 342 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and started an investigation.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026

Rescue 1122 officials say that all the four members of the family were asleep in their single-room house when its roof collapsed suddenly during the early morning windstorm and rain.

On being called by locals, a team of Rescue 1122 reached the spot and retrieved a woman, Ayesha Anwar (30), after removing the rubble, who had already died.

The team also rescued three other members of the family -- Ghulam Abbas (32), his wife Sajida Bibi (30) and his son Salman Abbas (3) -- who suffered serious injuries in the incident.

They were shifted to the DHQ hospital for treatment.

MASON DIES: A mason was buried alive after the wall of an old well collapsed on him during repair work at Chak 436-JB, Gojra, on Monday.

Rescue 1122 sources say that Yousaf (45), a mason, descended 25 feet into the well and was repairing its wall when it collapsed on him.

A Rescue 1122 team, responding to a call, reached there and retrieved the body after hectic efforts.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026

According to a spokesperson for the authority, a delegation of the World Bank, comprising Regional Director Mr Michael Roggi, Manager Sylvia Solf and other members, held an important meeting with PRA Chairman Moazzam Iqbal Sipra.

The meeting discussed measures to modernise Punjab’s tax system and transform it along digital lines. Detailed discussions were held on the effective use of digital databases in tax collection and the Digital Economy Enhancement Project.

The participants agreed to benefit from modern tax models and international best practices adopted by different countries.

“Digital tools will be utilised to expand the tax base and bring new businesses into the tax net,” said PRA Chairman Moazzam Iqbal Sipra while speaking to the delegation on the occasion.

The meeting also proposed integrating data from different government departments to develop a more effective tax collection system.

“Digital data will help identify tax evasion, misappropriation and discrepancies in business records,” said the PRA chairman while the World Bank delegation emphasised that PRA’s digital monitoring and tax administration systems would be further strengthened.

With the technical assistance and funding support of the World Bank, PRA and the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) will jointly develop a working plan for digital tax reforms.

“Modern technology will enable more effective utilisation of data relating to tax returns, payments and business activities,” said Mr Sipra. He further said the use of modern technology and data analytics in Punjab’s tax system would be promoted in line with international standards. “A practical roadmap for tax reforms will be developed with the technical assistance of the World Bank,” he added.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026

Aleema was detained on Sep 20 after the Lahore deputy commissioner ordered her detention or arrest under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance.

The detention has come amid reports of a crackdown on the PTI ahead of its countrywide protest and march to Islamabad, which the party has postponed to Oct 4. The protest has been called to demand Imran’s release from jail and mobilise people for the supremacy of the Constitution.

Assistant Advocate General Farrukh Khan Lodhi submitted a report on behalf of the Kot Lakhpat jail superintendent during the hearing of a petition filed by Shahrez Khan, Aleema’s son.

According to the report, Aleema had been provided with a bedsheet, blanket, shoes, six suits and a towel. She was also given face wash, a toothbrush, a skincare kit and a shawl, it added.

In light of the government’s report, Justice Abher Gul Khan disposed of the petition.

The judge also directed the home secretary to decide, in accordance with the law, on the petitioner’s request seeking permission to meet Aleema.

At the last hearing on Sept 26, Barrister Taimur Malik had told the court that his client, Aleema, was facing difficulties in receiving her medicines and other essentials in jail.

Aleema’s sisters, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, have also been detained for 30 days ahead of the PTI’s protest and march to Islamabad.

On Sept 24, the LHC turned down a request to immediately suspend the preventive detention notifications issued against Noreen and Uzma.

Sarwar Road police had booked several PTI leaders and workers on charges of attacking and vandalising the Jinnah House, which also serves as the residence of the corps commander, during the May 9, 2023 protests against the arrest of ex-premier Imran Khan.

On Monday, police produced the former federal finance minister before ATC Judge Manzer Ali Gill upon the completion of his 21-day physical remand.

During the hearing, a state prosecutor said police needed further remand to recover the suspect’s mobile phone and SIM, describing them as important pieces of evidence. He urged the court to extend the remand for a further seven days.

Speaking before the court, Azhar questioned why further remand was being sought, saying he had already been kept on physical remand for 21 days in an alleged occurrence where he said he was not even present.

“Even a murder suspect is sent on 14-day remand here. Has my offence become more serious than murder?” he asked.

The former minister also complained that he had earlier not been allowed to meet his lawyers or family members — a concern also voiced earlier by his family before a court.

The ATC then reserved its decision on the prosecution’s request for further remand, and later announced its decision, granting the police Azhar’s remand for another seven days.

Meeting with family allowed, LHC told

Separately, a two-member Lahore High Court (LHC) bench headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi disposed of a petition filed by Azhar’s mother and wife against the alleged denial of access to him during police custody.

A Lahore ATC had already disposed of a similar plea filed by the family, directing them to approach the police on the matter.

A Punjab government lawyer informed the LHC bench that Azhar had been allowed to meet his mother and wife.

The law officer further said that the PTI leader would also meet his lawyer at the trial court on Monday.

Relying on the government lawyer’s statement, the bench disposed of the petition.

According to his family, Azhar was arrested on Sept 5. However, police said the next day they were unaware of his arrest, prompting the PTI leader’s mother to approach the LHC on Sept 7, and he was produced before an ATC the same day.

Azhar, the son of late former Punjab governor Mian Muhammad Azhar, has been declared a proclaimed offender by multiple anti-terrorism courts for not joining the proceedings against him in cases related to the May 9 riots.

Azhar had reappeared in public on May 22, 2024, a year after he had gone into hiding when the state launched a crackdown against the party leadership following the violent incidents of May 9. At the time, the PTI leader had evaded arrest when the Counter-Terrorism Department raided the party’s secretariat in Islamabad.

The 20-year-old Azeri woman had travelled to Pakistan for business purposes and was allegedly gang-raped by three men in a rented flat of a private housing society located near Raiwind on the night between Friday and Saturday.

Lahore Deputy Inspector General (Investigation) Zeeshan Raza confirmed the arrest of the key suspect to Dawn, adding that two other suspects had also been identified and police teams were conducting raids to arrest them.

“We are investigating the case in the light of the victim woman’s statement to the police,” he said.

The official said that the woman’s medical report confirmed she was subjected to sexual assault.

On Sunday, Lahore police requested federal authorities to place the names of the three prime suspects in the case on the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), saying they had fled Lahore shortly after the alleged assault.

Police had also taken two close relatives and a domestic servant of one of the suspects into custody. The vehicle allegedly used in the incident had also been taken into custody, he added.

Woman records statement

Earlier in the day, the Azeri woman recorded her statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before a judicial magistrate at the Cantonment Courts on Monday.

The woman was brought to the court under tight security to record her statement before Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Sagheer. Before the proceedings began, the magistrate ordered all unrelated persons to leave the courtroom.

The statement continued for more than an hour.

The Defence C police had registered a case against three unidentified suspects on the woman’s complaint.

It is the second such case in which a foreign woman was reportedly gang-raped in the Defence C police station area during the last four months.

In June, two foreign women, nationals of the Netherlands and Venezuela, were allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted in the Defence C police station area.

According to the FIR, the women were abducted by five suspects, including a close relative of a senior political personality, who demanded ransom and subjected them to sexual assault during their captivity.

M-1, sections of M-14 (Islamabad-Dera Ismail Khan Motorway) and the GT Road (N-5) were closed to traffic last week for an indefinite period amid government pushback ahead of PTI’s long march towards Islamabad — initially scheduled for September 27, but later postponed to October 4.

According to a Motorway Police spokesperson, restoration work remained underway on the M-14 motorway between Hakla and Kundal and on the loop connecting the M-1 motorway with the Hazara Motorway.

Traffic travelling from Islamabad to Abbottabad via the M-1 can exit at Burhan Interchange, use the GT Road via Hasan Abdal and rejoin the Hazara Expressway at Jhuri Kas Interchange, the spokesperson said.

The N-5, or GT Road, between Islamabad and Peshawar has also been reopened to all traffic, the spokesperson said.

In a statement issued later, the spokesperson said M-14 had been reopened from Hakla to Kot Belian and from Isa Khel to Yarik. Meanwhile, restoration work on the section between Kot Belian and Isa Khel was still under way, the spokesperson added.

In its Sept 22 directives, the motorway police announced that the M-1 was closed to all traffic in both directions between the Islamabad Toll Plaza and Chhachh Interchange, while the M-14 was closed between Hakla and Kundal. The GT Road was also closed at Attock Khurd.

Security arrangements were also intensified in Attock, with containers and sandbags placed at key bridges and security tightened at major entry and exit points as authorities prepared for the PTI protest.

However, on Sept 25, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said PTI’s long march towards Islamabad would now commence from Peshawar on Oct 4.

The party was set to hold a nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad to press for the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.

Ahead of the protest, the Punjab government imposed a ban on gatherings across the province for 13 days and prohibited inciting people to “unlawful assembly”. A similar ban under Section 144 has been enforced in Islamabad for two months.

The Punjab government also sent a letter to the interior ministry requesting mobile and internet services at specific locations in Rawalpindi and Attock to be downgraded or jammed on Sept 27. The federal government also approved the deployment of Rangers in Islamabad and several districts of Punjab from Sept 20 to Oct 5.

DIG Operations Faisal Kamran described the individual as a PTI “goon” who wanted to sabotage peace. The PTI vehemently rejected the Lahore police claim.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Faisal Kamran claimed that police had seized an audio recording from the mobile phone of the suspect who was identified as Amin.

He said the suspect and a PTI woman could be heard arranging 20 to 30 `rioters’ for the May 9-like violence across the provincial capital.

Party vehemently rejects claim

The DIG said the woman, yet to be arrested, was identified as Fatima Haider, whom the suspect described as a ‘PTI welfare wing’ member.

She was already involved in the May 9 cases and was on bail, Faisal Kamran said, adding that she could be heard talking to Amin in the audio recording that the individuals would be imparted training to create an unrest during Sept 27 protests.

He said the ‘goons’ were to be brought to Lahore to create a situation similar to the May 9 violence.

“The police got information of the conspiracy on Sept 26 and arrested Amin who hailed from Sahiwal and was working as a driver for the woman’s family”, the DIG said.

The police also seized several other audio recordings from the mobile phone of the arrested suspect which further revealed more such disturbing plans of the PTI’s individuals despite the fact that the party leadership had multiple times claimed of carrying out ‘peacful protests’.

Following the sensitivity of the matter, the police formed multiple teams to track down all the suspects involved in the ‘nefarious’ plan.

PTI reaction: PTI strongly rejected Punjab police allegations surrounding individuals named Amin and Fatima Haider as part of Punjab government’s “vague narrative campaign.”

Responding to Faisal Kamran’s news conference, Punjab PTI information secretary Shaukat Basra told Dawn that Punjab’s “Gullu Butt” should stop creating false narratives like the May 9 false-flag operation. He said the PTI had always been peaceful and remained so in the light of explicit instructions of party founder Imran Khan.

Mr Basra asked police to stop asking riddles and bring clear evidence to light. He said the party’s stance had always remained clear that May 9 was a false-flag operation and added those who stole the May 9 CCTV footage had not presented it in courts and were responsible for the May 9 violence.

“Like the May 9 false-flag operation, the DIG Lahore’s claim is a white lie and the allegation is planted”. He said all police officers in Punjab had “actually become Jati Umra slaves, orchestrating a campaign of lies.”

Referring to an IGP claim that “the police has not entered anyone’s house and took no illegal action,” the PTI information secretary said that he had challenged the IG and posted videos on his X handle, showing police entering private residences of people. He said no police officer had so far refuted his claim. He said the PTI still challenged the IGP and the CCPO to present the May 9 CCTV footage in courts.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2026

According to the FIR, the victim’s uncle said in his complaint that his niece M was a classfellow of the accused A’s daughter. He claimed that she was standing outside the school on Saturday to go home when the accused offered to drop her home. He claimed that he took the girl to his house where he raped her by threatening to kill her.

The Kabirwala City police have arrested the accused.

Meanwhile, the Nankana Syedwala police booked a man on Sunday for raping a married woman in Mouza Ali Nagar in Syedwala.

In her complaint, the victim claimed that six months ago her husband was not at home due to his job, the accused climbed into her house and raped her at gunpoint. She claimed that he had made a video of the act and had repeatedly raped her by blackmailing her. She claimed that he again raped her on Saturday night.

Police were conducting raids to arrest the accused.

TRADERS BOOKED: The Jaranwala City police booked 71 traders for blocking the GTS Road outside the municipal committee on Sunday.

Police Sub-Inspector Manzoor Hussain claimed in the FIR that shopkeepers, including Anjuman Tajiran President Abdul Ghaffar Sheikh, five other nominated office-bearers of different trader organisations and 65 unidentified traders, staged a protest against auctioning their shops and blocked the road while the auction of the MC shops was underway.

No arrest has been made so far.

KIDNAP: A girl was allegedly kidnapped and her brother was shot and injured while attempting to save her in Chak 285 JB on Sunday.

The Gojra Saddar police said complainant Ghulam Murtaza informed them that his daughter Zari Bibi (15) was at home when Abdul Jabbar of Sahiwal came along with his accomplices. They bundled her into their van and when his son Waris Ali tried to rescue her, they opened fire and he was critically wounded. They fled away while his injured son had been shifted to the Gojra THQ Hospital for treatment, he said.

Meanwhile, two motorcycle riders attempted to steal a goat of a child shepherd identified as Ahmad Ilyas (12) when he was grazing them in the fields in Chak 373 JB of Gojra. When he offered resistance, they shot and injured him and fled without taking away his goat. The injured child had been shifted to the Gojra THQ Hospital for treatment.

PARKING PLAZAS: To solve the parking problems in the vicinity of eight bazaars around Faisalabad’s Ghanta Ghar, five parking plazas are under construction at a cost of Rs1.6 billion and are set to be completed by March 2027.

In a meeting on Sunday with traders, Commissioner Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh said that parking plazas were being constructed on Rajbah Road, outside Karhan Bazaar, Aminpur Bazaar, Kachehri Bazaar, Central Imambargara Road, Douglas Pura, Site A and Site B.

He said that providing a conducive business environment to traders and shopkeepers was one of the priorities of the Faisalabad administration.

Municipal Corporation Chief Officer Usman Ghani, ACs Rangzeb Goraya and Dr Zeeshan Ahmed were also present.

WHEAT TARGET: Punjab Agriculture (Extension) Director General Chaudhry Shahbaz Akhtar has said that a target of 1.83 million acres has been set for Faisalabad division for wheat sowing in the Rabi season.

Chairing a meeting in Faisalabad on Sunday, he directed officials of his department to launch an awareness campaign to ensure timely wheat cultivation from Nov 1 to Nov 20. He said the farmers should be encouraged to use certified seeds and sow wheat through modern mechanical cultivation, especially super seeder, to achieve at least a three-maund increase in average yield per acre.

Director Agriculture Chaudhry Khalid Mahmood was also present.

ACCIDENT: A teenage labourer died after a large pillar collapsed on him near the Gutwala toll plaza on Sunday.

According to Rescue 1122, the deceased was dismantling part of a pillar of a plaza for reconstruction, when the pillar suddenly fell on him. He was identified as Saqlain Waris (16).

FIRING INCIDENT: Three farmers were allegedly injured in a cross fire between two groups in Chak 429 GB of Tandlianwala tehsil.

Rescue 1122 officials said that two groups attacked each other over harvesting paddy crops. The wounded included Muhammad Yaqub (55), Saddam Hussein (35) and Ali Husnain (16), who had been shifted to the Tandlianwala THQ Hospital for treatment.

FUEL THEFT: The Thikriwala police have registered a case against nine nominated and their seven unidentified accomplices on Sunday for diesel theft from a Parco pipeline.

According to the FIR, registered on the complaint of Parco Assistant Security Officer Shakil Ahmad, the pipeline’s excavation work had went through the lands of the area’s landowners including Akram alias Akka, Faisal, Ramzan, Abdullah, Asif Dogar, all residents of Chak 73JB Chopal. He claimed that near the New City Housing Colony, Nasir, Naseer, Luqman and other suspects had stolen thousands of litres of fuel from the pipeline.

Raids were underway to arrest the accused persons.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2026

Dawn learnt from sources all of them were released from Central Prison Sahiwal after receiving on Sunday afternoon. These political workers were reportedly arrested on the order of deputy commissioner on Sept 13 and detained in Central Jail. Their detention was challenged in the Multan Bench of the Lahore High Court, which ruled that the detention of the PTI workers and office-bearers was unlawful.

Those freed included Agha Qamar Abbas, Shoaib Khan Baloch, Tanveer Hussain, Muhammad Azhar, Javed Iqbal and Mansoor Iftikhar Hashmi.

Meanwhile, the Crime Control Department (CCD) arrested two former office-bearers of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Vehari district from Adda Ghaziabad on Sunday. Those arrested were identified as Muhammad Nadeem Sargana and Shaban Chauhan.

The CCD claimed to have recovered a 30-bore illegal pistol from Chauhan’s possession while six bullets were found in Sargana’s pocket. The CCD Police Station Sahiwal registered a case on the complaint of Inspector Muhammad Sajjad.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2026

According to Lodhran Rescue 1122 media coordinator, on receiving a call the emergency service teams rushed to the village, where they found all nine members of a family vomiting and crying with abdominal pain.

The rescuers immediately rendered them first aid on the spot and shifted them in ambulances to the local district headquarters (DHQ) hospital, where they were given emergency treatment by doctors.

According to the rescuers, the family members consumed vegetable cooked in their house. They said that some of the sick persons claimed that a lizard had accidentally fallen into the cooking pot and they unknowingly ate the vegetable, resulting in severe pain and vomiting.

The patients include Ms Asma (27), Ms Sobia (28), Ms Shaheena (40), Zainab (10), Atif(17), Afan (4), Ayan Abbas (6), Dua (5) and Farhat Abbas (40).

The doctors at the DHQ hospital told Dawn that the treatment of the sick persons was going on, hoping they would recover in a couple of days.

FIRE: A heap of about 20,000 maunds of cotton was damaged in a fire erupting at a cotton factory at Chak No 24/ BC on Yazman Road near Bahawalpur city.

According to Rescue 1122, the cotton was piled up on the factory’s premises, which caught fire. On an emergency call, the Rescue 1122 firefighters, along with four fire engines, rushed to the scene and launched extinguishing operation.

They extinguished the blaze after two-hour-long efforts, while the cooling process took another hour to complete.

The rescuers said the cause of the fire could not be ascertained yet, with the factory owners claiming that the blaze might have been caused by heating of the cotton stock lying in open. The rescuers claimed that despite the timely fire-extinguishing operation, extensive damage was caused to the cotton.

They claimed that due to the timely operation, other cotton stocks lying nearby in the factory were saved.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2026

Mr Channar had secured 62,713 votes against Mr Cheema’s 31,293, suggesting that the ruling party was set to retain the National Assembly seat that fell vacant following the death of MNA Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar.

The PML-N had fielded the deceased MNA’s son to contest the by-election.

The polling process was largely peaceful across the constituency, although there were reports of isolated incidents of violence, mismanagement, confusion and complaints about the unavailability of women’s voter lists at some polling stations.

Unofficial tally suggests Channar has secured nearly double the votes of his main rival, Cheema

In a statement, the provincial election commissioner said balloting was briefly disrupted at a polling station in Akhtarabad, considered a PML-N stronghold, following a brawl between voters after political workers allegedly harassed election staff. Immediate action was taken, and the relevant district returning officer and returning officer brought the situation under control with police help.

Polling remained slow during the early hours, with limited voter participation. Although polling began on time at all stations on Sunday morning, staff remained idle for several hours as only a few voters turned up till noon. However, voter turnout, including among women, increased after midday.

Rural polling stations, particularly those around Jhnagiwali and Abbasnagar, which are considered strongholds of the Channar family, witnessed a large number of voters.

When asked about the incident, Mr Channar alleged that some people had disrupted polling and were found stamping ballot papers in favour of his rival. He claimed that the individuals were expelled following the scuffle and that polling resumed after remaining suspended for several hours.

Meanwhile, some voters at the Bahawalpur 3-Marla Housing Scheme polling station alleged police officials deployed there had not allowed voters whose CNICs carried addresses from the Yazman area, which is considered a stronghold of Mr Cheema, to cast their ballots.

PM congratulates party candidate

Later, a statement issued by PM Office said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Malik Munir Iqbal Channar as well as his brother Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar, who is incumbent Punjab Assembly deputy speaker, on the victory in the by-election. The PM lauded the people of Bahawalpur for electing their representative, stating that the victory showed public confidence in the PML-N.

Imran Gabol in Lahore also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2026

While official results were not released until midnight, reports suggested that PML-N’s Malik Munir Iqbal, brother of Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar, was leading the race.

The seat fell vacant after the death of Munir’s father, Malik Muhammad Iqbal Channar in August.

Polling began at 8am and concluded at 5pm. Voters present within the boundaries of the polling station were to be allowed to cast their vote past 5pm as well, according to Election Commission of Pakistan spokesperson Huda Gohar.

The polling process remained largely peaceful across the constituency, a statement by the provincial election commissioner said, noting that “routine complaints” were received.

In an earlier statement, the election commissioner said balloting was briefly disrupted at a polling station in Akhtarabad due to a brawl between voters after alleged harassment of election staff by political workers.

The Provincial Election Commissioner Control Room took immediate action, while the relevant district returning officer (DRO) and returning officer (RO) brought the situation under control with the help of police.

“The issue has since been resolved and polling is continuing as usual,” the statement added.

According to data from the provincial election commissioner’s office, a total of 483,143 people were registered in the constituency, including 248,259 men and 234,614 women across 292 polling stations. At the polling stations, 307 presiding officers and 941 polling officers and assistant presiding officers were deployed.

A day earlier, the Punjab Home Department requested the federal interior ministry that troops of army and Rangers (Punjab) be deployed in the constituency for smooth, peaceful and secure conduct of the by-election.

Leading up to the by-poll, three persons were injured on Sept 12 in an armed clash at Baqirpur in connection with the election campaign of Cheema, the son of former PML-Q federal minister Tariq Bashir Cheema.

As per Rescue 1122 sources, the clash occurred during Cheema’s election rally between supporters of the rival candidates, and some of them resorted to firing, resulting in injuries to three people.

A 20-year-old Azeri woman was visiting Pakistan for business purposes and was residing in a house near Raiwind Road.

She filed an application with the police stating that two women approached her for dinner. They went to a café where three men met them. She could identify the men and women by face.

She said the men offered her and two other women to drive and they later took her to an unidentified flat. She said they consumed alcohol and she was also served some intoxicating material and fell unconscious.

She said three men allegedly gang-raped her and later locked her in the flat till 2pm.

She said the suspects came back and dropped her near Ghazi Interchange and fled the scene.

She said the suspects also took away her mobile phone and other luggage. She demanded action against the suspects.

Defence-C police registered a case against the three suspects and started the investigation.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2026

Addressing a press conference at Mansoora, JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman said the party workers remained mobilised and would continue their campaign until the petroleum levy was abolished. He also announced rallies across the country while warning the government of renewed street protests if it failed to provide relief.

He said the party would hold rallies in Charsadda, Swabi, Karak, Sahiwal, Sargodha, Larkana, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Karachi and other cities. A detailed schedule would be announced later. He also announced a nationwide signature campaign against the levy, saying JI would collect signatures from the public as part of its campaign.

Mr Naeem said the government had used traditional tactics to prevent the JI from holding its Lahore rally a day earlier but party workers managed to reach the venue despite the restrictions. He said the rally demonstrated that the party workers were active and would continue their struggle on public issues. He invited political and opposition parties to join JI’s sit-ins and rallies to raise issues affecting the public.

On the petroleum levy, the JI leader said the agreement with the IMF did not require the government to impose the levy. He said he expected the prime minister to hold talks with his party after returning to the country and abolish the levy. He said the party had postponed its protest for a few days at the PM’s request.

“Jamaat-i-Islami cannot throw its workers and the people into the fire,” he said, adding that the party was pursuing the issue while seeking to avoid casualties and losses. He called for a reduction in government expenditure.

He also demanded an end to interest-based financing at the federal level and said that there was no justification for allocating federal funds to provincial departments after the 18th Amendment.

Reacting to calls for governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mr Naeem said the JI would strongly oppose any such move.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2026

According to the reports available with Dawn, the patients, including three women, who had been receiving dialysis at the hospital tested positive for the deadly virus after initial diagnosis.

The hospital administration has referred them to the Nishtar Hospital Multan for further medical evaluation and treatment and they are currently under treatment there.

The Mian Channu hospital officials told the media that more than 60 patients were receiving dialysis at the facility and HIV could not be transmitted through the dialysis process. They said that they were assessing the situation.

Infected patients, including three women, sent to Multan’s Nishtar Hospital

Sources, however, said that more dialysis patients might also have tested positive but the officials did not confirm more cases.

In recent years, several HIV cases were reported in the healthcare facilities in Punjab.

In November 2024, around 30 kidney patients at the Nishtar Hospital were reported to have contracted HIV during dialysis, while one patient died after developing complications. A Punjab government fact-finding committee subsequently confirmed an HIV/AIDS outbreak in the hospital’s nephrology unit and identified violations of dialysis guidelines and standard operating procedures.

A scientific study published in 2026, involving researchers from the Aga Khan University and the Punjab AIDS Control Programme, found that the Multan dialysis cases were closely linked and provided evidence that the infections originated within the healthcare setting. The Punjab government ordered proceedings under the PEEDA Act against senior officials and medical staff over alleged negligence and mismanagement related to the outbreak in Nishtar Hospital Multan in January 2025.

Another major HIV-related crisis had emerged in Taunsa where 106 children tested HIV positive and they were registered with the AIDS Control Programme in March 2025. The government had established a screening and treatment centre at the THQ hospital and ordered action against senior local health officials. Later, a joint mission involving WHO, Unicef, UNAIDS and other partners carried out door-to-door screening of around 50,000 people in the affected area. It also said auto-disable syringes were supplied to government hospitals and that hundreds of clinics allegedly being run by quacks were sealed.

The Punjab AIDS Control Programme says it provides free HIV testing, counselling, treatment, diagnostic services and follow-up care and treatment centres were established in districts, including Lahore, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan, and more than 14,000 patients were receiving free treatment.

At the federal level, the National AIDS Control Programme says 84,421 HIV cases were registered in Pakistan by December 2025, of whom 60,785 were receiving antiretroviral therapy at 98 centres.

Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2026