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Progress on D.I. Khan International Airport gains momentum; KP Governor

By
NNPS Desk
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PESHAWAR, Nov 15 (APP): Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi on Saturday said that work on the establishment of Dera Ismail Khan International Airport was progressing in a phased and satisfactory manner, expressing confidence that the project would transform the socio-economic landscape of the entire region.

The Governor made these remarks during a meeting with senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader Zafar Ali Khan Gandapur, who called on him at the Governor House Peshawar.

Governor Kundi said that Section 4 has been imposed on the land identified for the airport, while specialised teams from the aviation department are actively engaged in preliminary planning at the site.

He added that Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, along with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, would soon inaugurate the landmark project.

He said the D.I. Khan International Airport will not only generate employment opportunities at the local level but also boost economic activity across all southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Zafar Ali Khan Gandapur appreciated the Governor’s role in promoting major public-sector projects in D.I. Khan and called for expanding NADRA, passport, and Benazir Income Support Programme facilities in the district.

Commissioner directs strict enforcement of one-dish ban

By
Asif Jalal
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SARGODHGA, Nov 15 (APP): Commissioner of Sargodha Division, Jahanzeb Awan, has directed the Deputy Commissioners of all four districts to ensure strict implementation of the one-dish ban in marriage halls, emphasizing that immediate legal action must be taken wherever violations occur. He issued this instruction during a review meeting on public welfare measures chaired by him, attended by Deputy Commissioners from Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, and Bhakkar.
The Commissioner highlighted that the convenience of the public remains a top priority, noting that issues like the one-dish ban, price controls, the speed of development projects, and urban cleanliness directly impact citizens’ daily lives. He urged all officers to remain visible in the field, maintain transparency, and demonstrate responsibility in their work. He made it clear that any negligence in these areas would not be tolerated.
Additionally, Awan called for a robust operation against encroachments in residential and commercial areas, and directed that daily progress reports be submitted. He stressed that there would be no compromise on the governance measures introduced by the Punjab Chief Minister.
During the meeting, the Deputy Commissioners provided detailed updates on 31 key agenda points, including the enforcement of bread prices, progress of development schemes, monitoring of educational institutions and medical centers, actions against encroachments, performance of the Solid Waste Management Company (SWMC), transport monitoring, agricultural issues, and complaints addressed through the Chief Minister’s portal.
The Commissioner also instructed the Assistant Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners to inspect at least two development schemes in person each week, ensuring that their teams remain actively engaged in the field.

King Abdullah II of Jordan arrives in Islamabad

By
NNPS Desk
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ISLAMABAD, Nov 15 (APP): At the invitation of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, King Abdullah II of Jordan arrived here on Saturday on a two-day visit to Pakistan.

Upon arrival in Islamabad, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Climate Change Musaddiq Malik and Minister of State for Education Wajiha Qamar welcomed King Abdullah II and his high-level delegation at the airport.

King Abdullah II’s visit to Pakistan reflects the long-standing brotherly relations between Pakistan and Jordan. This visit will further strengthen the political, economic and cultural ties between the two countries.

King Abdullah II will hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House and will also hold delegation-level talks. This visit of King Abdullah II will further strengthen the long-standing relations between Pakistan and Jordan and will help expand the scope of bilateral cooperation between the two brotherly countries.

An artist making traditional music instrument Rubab at his stall during the ten-day annual folk festival “Lok Mela 2025” at Lok Virsa.

By
Wajid
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APP10-151125 ISLAMABAD: November 15 – An artist making traditional music instrument Rubab at his stall during the ten-day annual folk festival “Lok Mela 2025” at Lok Virsa. APP/SAK/FHA
An artist making traditional music instrument Rubab at his stall during the ten-day annual folk festival “Lok Mela 2025” at Lok Virsa.
APP10-151125
ISLAMABAD: November 15 –
An artist making traditional music instrument Rubab at his stall during the ten-day annual folk festival “Lok Mela 2025” at Lok Virsa.
APP11-151125
ISLAMABAD: November 15 – An elder vendor displaying clay made items to attract customers at his stall during the ten-day annual folk festival “Lok Mela 2025” at Lok Virsa. APP/SAK/FHA
An artist making traditional music instrument Rubab at his stall during the ten-day annual folk festival “Lok Mela 2025” at Lok Virsa.
APP12-151125
ISLAMABAD: November 15 – Workers prepare traditional matka tea along with makai roti and saag to attract visitors at their stall during the ten-day annual folk festival “Lok Mela 2025” at Lok Virsa. APP/SAK/FHA
An artist making traditional music instrument Rubab at his stall during the ten-day annual folk festival “Lok Mela 2025” at Lok Virsa.
APP13-151125
ISLAMABAD: November 15 – An artist painting on traditional tea pot at his stall during the ten-day annual folk festival “Lok Mela 2025” at Lok Virsa. APP/SAK/FHA

4,391 drug traffickers arrested in 2025

By
Asif Jalal
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FAISALABAD, Nov 15 (APP): Police in Faisalabad have reported the arrest of 4,391 drug traffickers during anti-narcotics operations conducted across the district in 2025. According to a police spokesperson, these crackdowns resulted in the registration of 4,162 criminal cases against drug dealers.
In addition to the arrests, authorities seized significant quantities of illegal substances, including 1,393.242 kilograms (kg) of charas, 109.858 kg of ICE (methamphetamine), 393.803 kg of heroin, 25.437 kg of opium, and 1,904.348 kg of bhukki (poppy dust). The police also recovered 1,922 liters of lahan (un-distilled alcohol) and 57,749 bottles of liquor from the accused individuals.
This operation highlights the ongoing efforts by the Faisalabad police to combat the illegal drug trade and reduce narcotics-related crimes in the region.

Wildlife dept tackles climate change impact on rare species in Punjab

By
Asif Jalal
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SARGODHGA, Nov 15 (APP): The Wildlife Department, with full support from the Punjab government under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, is working tirelessly to ensure the survival of rare birds and animals across the division. Wildlife Assistant Chief for the Sargodha region, Arooj Zaheer, shared these efforts during her live program on Pakistan Radio.
She highlighted climate change as one of the most pressing challenges Pakistan faces today, affecting ecosystems across the country—from the mountains to the mangroves. Arooj Zaheer noted that the receding glaciers in the region’s hilly areas are leading to significant changes in river inflows, which are further exacerbated by extreme weather events and shifts in agricultural patterns.
In a panel discussion moderated by environmental journalist Rina Saeed Khan, experts shared strategies to build climate resilience for local communities and work collaboratively on climate issues. Zaheer emphasized that climate change is a harsh reality that threatens both current and future generations. She urged policymakers to prioritize climate change in development agendas to prevent increasing vulnerabilities and erosion of resilience.
To enhance climate resilience and promote alternative livelihoods, Wildlife Pakistan, in partnership with various government departments, has launched climate adaptation initiatives from the Upper Indus Basin to the Indus Delta. WWF-Pakistan is also piloting new business models and technologies focused on clean, renewable energy.
Arooj called for nature-based solutions to tackle climate challenges, including large-scale plantation drives, the protection of existing forests, and the promotion of water conservation. She also pointed out that Pakistan’s unique geography, ranging from Sonmiani Bay’s sea level to the 8,611-meter height of K-2, makes it not only one of the most diverse countries but also one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
She explained that Pakistan is experiencing rising temperatures, longer cold periods, glacial lake outburst floods, seawater intrusion into the Indus Delta, and an increase in coastal cyclones and storm surges.
Arooj also highlighted the successful conservation efforts that have led to an increase in the population of the Indus River dolphin, thanks to the collaboration of various stakeholders, including communities and government departments. She called for strict measures and severe punishments for poachers involved in the illegal wildlife trade, stressing the need to protect the nation’s endangered species.

Kohat cracks down on counterfeit cigarettes: 393 fake packs seized in citywide raid

By
Asif Jalal
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KOHAT, Nov 15 (APP): Under the direct orders of Deputy Commissioner Kohat, Rahimullah Mehsud, a joint team led by Additional Assistant Commissioner (AAC) Revenue, Naseem Abbas Bangash, swept through several markets on Friday, seizing 393 packets of cigarettes that bore fake or unverified Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) stamps. The surprise operation, carried out alongside local police, aimed to root out illegal, tax-evading tobacco products that threaten both consumer health and government revenue.
The raids, which spanned multiple outlets across the city, resulted in the recovery of the illicit packs from a handful of shops that had been selling the counterfeit brands. Officials said the seized cigarettes were part of a larger network of smuggled and falsely stamped tobacco that has been flooding local markets, a problem that authorities have been battling nationwide.
AAC Bangash took the opportunity to brief traders on how to distinguish genuine FBR stamps from fakes, urging shopkeepers to stock only brands that display the standard, verified markings. He warned that any future violations would attract strict legal action, emphasizing that the administration will not tolerate the sale of substandard or tax-dodging cigarettes.
The district administration pledged that similar operations will continue unabated, aiming to protect consumers from harmful, untaxed products and to bolster the provincial exchequer. By cracking down on counterfeit cigarettes, Kohat joins a broader federal effort to curb the illicit tobacco trade, which has seen nationwide raids confiscating millions of illegal sticks in recent months.
On this occasion, local officials expressed confidence that the combined enforcement and awareness drive will gradually weed out illegal vendors, ensuring that only legitimate, tax-paid cigarettes reach the market and safeguarding public health across the region.

Sindh’s women-led poverty fight powers up 400,000 entrepreneurs

By
Asif Jalal
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MIRPURKHAS, Nov 15 (APP): In a modest ceremony at village Sohbat Laghari, Union Council Makhan Samoon, Provincial Assembly member and Sindh government spokesperson Sadia Javed reminded the crowd that empowering women was the dream of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, a legacy now being carried forward with “full commitment” by Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. Speaking to community workers on Saturday, Javed handed out loan cheques to women eager to launch small businesses, underscoring the Sindh Rural Support Program (SRSP) as a flagship effort to slash poverty across the province.
The SRSP, rolled out province-wide through the Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO), has earmarked a total of Rs 7 billion for its Community Initiatives Fund, with Rs 1 billion set aside as micro-loans for women entrepreneurs. To date, the scheme has reached roughly 400,000 women, enabling them to start or expand enterprises. CEO Muhammad Dattal Kalhoro highlighted an impressive 99 percent loan recovery rate, a testament, he said, to the “dedication and honesty” of the beneficiaries.
Javed praised the program’s uniqueness: it is wholly owned and led by women, a first in Pakistan, she said, and it has proved critics wrong. “When we first launched this, skeptics claimed it would fail, but it was the women of Sindh—our mothers and sisters—who made it a success,” she declared, adding that the initiative reflects the hard-working spirit of Sindh’s female population.
On this occasion, Mayor Abdul Rauf Ghori hailed the effort as a “revolutionary step” toward social and economic empowerment of vulnerable groups.
 Later, Javed toured Brit Women Garments and Sky Garments for men, where District Manager SRSO Syed Shehanshah explained that community-level programs aim to organize, sensitize, and link rural women with broader institutions. The event also drew Regional General Manager Hyderabad Khadim Hussain Shar, Deputy Director Social Welfare Anwar Hussain Khaskheli, and several other officials and media representatives.
The ceremony concluded with a chorus of optimism, as officials pledged to expand the SRSP’s reach and deepen its impact, keeping Benazir Bhutto’s dream of a prosperous, empowered Sindh alive.

City’s face-lifting grand project launched in the Lake District of Mirpur, AJK

By
Asif Jalal
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MIRPUR, Nov 15 (APP): Under the spirit of the face-lifting of the lake city of Mirpur AJK, construction work on several city roads and streets has been kicked off with a prime focus on the completion of the city road projects under a phased annual development program ending on June 30 next year, official sources said.
In the wake of the ongoing city development program, Mirpur Deputy Commissioner Yasir Riaz on Saturday conducted a surprise inspection of the Mian Muhammad Road being constructed from Chowk Shaheedan to Cricket Stadium, District Administration spokesman Javed Malik told APP here on Saturday.
On this occasion, the DC reviewed the quality pace of the road construction work, he added.
Briefing him about the road, SDO Highways Syed Hassan Shah told him that asphalt (carpeting material) was being laid for quality and durable construction of Mian Muhammad Road from one side to the other so that no part of this important and busiest road of the city was left.
 Deputy Commissioner Yasir Riaz instructed the officers and contractors of the Highways Department to ensure 100% quality of the road construction project. If any negligence or carelessness is found in this regard, strict action will be taken, and legal action will be taken against the perpetrators of negligence.
DC also directed the Municipal Corporation staff to immediately remove encroachments on both sides of Mian Muhammad Road, and no concession should be made to anyone in this regard.  On both sides of the road, the stalls and illegal sheds outside the shops should be removed, and all kinds of encroachments should be removed from the path for pedestrians, he advised.
The DC also reviewed the encroachments around Chowk Shaheed and directed that the encroachments should be removed within the next three days. On this occasion, State Officer Municipality Humayun Zaraq and the Encroachment Department staff were also present.
State Officer Municipality Humayun Razaq said that notices were being issued to remove all kinds of encroachments on both sides of the road from Chowk Shaheed to the cricket stadium. During this time, the encroachments will be removed on their own; otherwise, the encroachment department staff will demolish the encroachments using heavy machinery, the EO said.
 The owners will be responsible for the damages caused in this regard. The estate officer said that those who set up stalls on the sidewalks on the sides of the road and sell goods have also been warned to remove their encroachments and goods immediately; otherwise, their goods will be confiscated.
 A large number of citizens spoke to Deputy Commissioner Yasir Riaz, lauding the performance of the authorities towards the steps taken regarding road monitoring, the spokesman added.

Punjab CM’s green tractor scheme boosts modern farming: Sheikh Aftab

By
Asif Jalal
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0
ATTOCK, Nov 15 (APP): Member of the National Assembly and Member of the Supreme Judicial Council Sheikh Aftab Ahmed has said that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is taking concrete and revolutionary measures to bring about a genuine agricultural transformation in the province, and providing maximum relief to farmers is the government’s top priority.
He expressed these views on Saturday while addressing the audience as chief guest at the tractor distribution ceremony held in the District Council Hall Attock under the second phase of the Chief Minister Punjab High-Power Green Tractor Scheme. The event was attended by Assistant Commissioner Attock Inza Abbasi, PML-N ticket holder Malik Hamid Akbar Khan, Director of Agriculture Rawalpindi Division Shahid Iftikhar Bukhari, Deputy Director of Agriculture Attock Dr. Muhammad Javed, agricultural officers, farmers, and a large number of notables.
Briefing the participants, Deputy Director of Agriculture Dr. Muhammad Javed said that under the directives of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, 150 high-power green tractors had already been distributed among eligible farmers during the first phase, while another 178 tractors were being allotted through balloting in the second phase. He said that the Punjab government is providing a subsidy of Rs. 1 million per tractor. These tractors, he added, are compatible with modern agricultural implements and will significantly reduce both the time and cost of cultivation while increasing per-acre yield.
Speaking on the occasion, Malik Hamid Akbar Khan said that the PML-N government is reshaping Punjab’s agriculture sector through farmer-friendly policies. He added that subsidies on fertilizers, easy loans under the Kisan Card, the provision of modern machinery, and quality agricultural research have resulted in substantial improvements in the sector, leading to better financial stability for farmers.
According to agricultural experts, the positive effects of the government’s policies are clearly evident, with the average per-acre wheat yield increasing from 32 maunds to 38 maunds, marking an 18% rise this season. Similarly, subsidies on DAP fertilizer, drip irrigation systems, a 70% discount on laser land leveling, and the use of advanced seed varieties have improved water efficiency and boosted overall agricultural production. The Agriculture Department expects Punjab’s total wheat output this season to reach 21 million tons, a major milestone for the country’s food security.
Concluding his address, Sheikh Aftab Ahmed congratulated the successful farmers and the administration, stating that the objective of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif is not merely tractor distribution but to equip farmers with modern technology, relief packages, and a conducive environment, enabling Punjab’s agriculture to become a modern and self-sufficient economic sector. He said that these initiatives will not only uplift farmers economically but also strengthen Pakistan’s overall economy.
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