Category: National

Lahore Police has distanced itself from a woman appearing in viral TikTok videos, clarifying that she no longer works for the department.

The woman, identified as Arbab, posted videos dancing to songs from the Indian movie “Dhurandhar,” including the tracks “FA9LA” and “Karvaan.” 

Social media users began tagging Punjab Police after the videos went viral, prompting an official response.

Lahore Police posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter) addressing the controversy. “The woman appearing in the circulating video, identified as Arbab, is a former lady constable of Lahore Police who was dismissed from service on September 18, 2024, and has no connection with Punjab Police,” the statement read. “The woman is currently residing in Korea.”

The videos gained significant traction on social media, with users creating content around themes of Indian spies in Pakistan and Pakistani spies in India using the “Karvaan” song.

Earlier, in the first week of December, three constables posted in Lahore faced dismissal for making a TikTok video during duty hours inside a police station. The video showed Constables Shahid, Bilal, and Usman performing humorous skits, with a clerk mimicking an officer while sitting at his desk.

SP Model Town Shahr Bano Naqvi ordered the dismissals after senior officers noticed the viral video and conducted an inquiry.

Similar cases have emerged across Pakistan. In 2025, authorities banned all police officers from using TikTok or posting personal videos on any social media platform while in uniform or on duty. The ban followed a viral video scandal involving a female police constable who complained that a colleague posted a video of her without consent during training.

Islamabad Police suspended two officers, Aftab Ahmed and Ehtesham Aslam, over allegations of misconduct and violations of social media rules. The officers received instructions to report to Rescue 15.

In 2024, Karachi Police suspended an officer after he appeared in a viral TikTok video.

Police officials say creating videos in uniform breaches service discipline and damages the institution’s credibility.

Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal hosted what became Islamabad’s sole comprehensive commemoration of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s birth anniversary, presenting URAAN Pakistan as the practical manifestation of the founder’s vision for the nation.

The event distinguished itself from routine ceremonial observances by systematically connecting Jinnah’s foundational principles to Pakistan’s current developmental challenges.

The keynote address rejected hollow nostalgia in favor of actionable national renewal. “Quaid-e-Azam gave us Pakistan. Now history asks us: Can we give Pakistan the future he dreamed of?” the speaker challenged, establishing honest assessment as the evening’s foundation.

Unlike typical commemorations, the speech confronted Pakistan’s unrealized potential: “We did not lag because of lack of resources—we lagged because of lack of discipline, continuity, unity, and vision.”

Minister Iqbal emphasized aspects of the Quaid’s vision often absent from public discourse:

Women’s Empowerment: Jinnah understood no nation progresses with half its population marginalized—a message critically relevant as Pakistan’s female labor participation remains among the world’s lowest.

Youth as Nation-Builders: With 64% of Pakistan’s population under 30, the Quaid’s faith in youth as “nation-builders of tomorrow” transforms from historical sentiment to urgent imperative.

Knowledge Economy: Jinnah wanted Pakistan self-reliant through export-oriented growth based on industry, science, and modern skills—not dependent on loans or raw material exports.

Character Over Chaos: The founder achieved Pakistan through disciplined organization and constitutional politics, not mobs or noise. “Great nations are not built on noise—they are built on discipline, sacrifice, and hard work,” the speaker reminded attendees.

URAAN as Policy Translation

The event’s central argument positioned URAAN Pakistan’s five pillars as systematic translation of Jinnah’s vision:

• Exports address his vision of economic self-reliance

• E-Pakistan modernizes his emphasis on modern skills for the knowledge economy

• Equity and Empowerment fulfill his commitment to women and youth

• Environment and Food Security ensure sustainable development

• Energy and Infrastructure build foundations for competitive growth

“URAAN Pakistan converts Quaid’s dream into a development strategy. It calls for merit over sifarish, productivity over rhetoric, exports over dependency, unity over division,” the speaker declared.

 

The event’s composition reflected its message. Celebrities attended as nation-building stakeholders. Quaid scholars provided historical context demonstrating that Jinnah’s principles regarding governance, social justice, education, and healthcare remain directly applicable to contemporary challenges.

Minister Iqbal emphasized Jinnah’s personal journey—his solitary dedication when few believed Pakistan possible, his ability to unify the Muslim League, his resilience through opposition. “We must learn from his determination and resilience,” Iqbal stressed, connecting historical example to contemporary necessity.

The event concluded with calls for Pakistanis to pledge: unity above division, institutional strength, merit-based systems, universal education, women and youth empowerment, and economic self-reliance.

“With faith, discipline, unity, and URAAN Pakistan’s vision, the answer must be: Yes—Pakistan will rise. Yes—Pakistan will prosper. Yes—Quaid’s dream will be fulfilled.”

That this remained Islamabad’s only substantial Quaid-e-Azam birthday celebration underscores its unique approach. Rather than perfunctory observances, Minister Iqbal’s leadership demonstrated that genuine tribute requires connecting foundational principles to contemporary solutions.

The gathering proved that Jinnah’s message about development, governance, socioeconomic transformation, youth empowerment, and resilience carries greater relevance today than ever—if Pakistan has the courage to implement it.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has announced an exemption for the Sikh community from the motorcycle helmet law and approved an increase in minority cards from 75,000 to 100,000.

Speaking at a Christmas ceremony on Thursday, the chief minister said, “The government has exempted Sikh riders from wearing helmets because of the religious requirement to wear turbans, which makes helmet use difficult.”

“Punjab stands committed to protecting minorities. Their safety is a key measure of our government’s success,” she said.

She warned that the state would respond firmly to any attempt to harm minorities or deprive them of their rights. “Making Punjab minority-friendly should be a shared goal for all citizens. The responsibility is greater for the majority community,” she added.

Addressing the Christian community, the chief minister extended Christmas greetings and announced the expansion of the minority card program to benefit more families.

She said, “The province marked Christmas by decorating cities, displaying festive messages, and installing large Christmas decorations, including a Christmas tree and Santa Claus display at Liberty Chowk.”

The helmet exemption addresses a long-standing concern within the Sikh community, where religious practice conflicts with traffic safety regulations. 

The expansion of minority cards will provide additional financial and social support to 25,000 more families across Punjab.

The announcement comes amid a strict helmet crackdown, where bike riders face a fine of Rs 2,000 for riding without a helmet. The updated penalty system became effective from December 1, 2025, with authorities issuing 28,000 helmet violation challans in a single day during the crackdown.

Pakistan’s oldest and largest brewery, Murree Brewery, is preparing to expand operations after receiving approval to export its products, ending a ban that had been in place for nearly five decades.

Founded in 1860 to serve British soldiers and colonial communities during the Raj, Murree Brewery has operated through decades of strict regulation and social opposition to become one of the country’s most recognised companies. Its production facility, once located in the hills near Islamabad, is now based in Rawalpindi.

Calling the development a “milestone”, Managing Director Isphanyar Bhandara said the export approval followed years of effort by his family. “My grandfather and late father tried to get the export licence but couldn’t,” he told AFP, attributing the difficulty to Pakistan’s status as an Islamic country.

Bhandara said he was surprised in 2017 when a Chinese-operated brewery, Hui Coastal Brewery and Distillery, was granted permission to produce beer in Pakistan, primarily for Chinese nationals working on infrastructure projects. Following that decision, Murree began lobbying authorities to lift the export restriction.

The company’s revenue exceeded $100 million in the fiscal year that concluded in June. Just over half of total earnings came from the production of glass bottles and non-alcoholic drinks.

Murree had sold its goods in the US, Afghanistan, India, and a number of Gulf states prior to the export ban.Bhandara noted that the company has already made limited shipments to Japan, the United Kingdom and Portugal as it tests international markets.

“At this stage, the focus is not on revenue but on understanding new markets,” he said. The company, which employs around 2,200 people, is primarily targeting Europe, while also considering expansion into Asian and African markets.

Bhandara said exporting could allow Murree to highlight its history and brand identity abroad, something not possible domestically due to advertising restrictions. “We are not allowed to advertise, so we keep our heads down and focus on making a good product,” he said.

The mystery surrounding the death of Muhammad Awais, a D-Pharmacy student at the University of Lahore, took a turn when CCTV footage of the student jumping from the third floor of the university’s Pharmacy Building surfaced online, seemingly indicating that no one was involved in the jump. 

The incident occurred on December 19 at around 9:35am. Awais was initially taken to the University of Lahore Teaching Hospital and later shifted to Lahore General Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries at approximately 7pm.

Following the incident, initial legal procedures, including Section 174 inquest proceedings, were reportedly proposed. Awais’s father, Ali Razzaq, however, did not pursue proceedings at the time.

After the student’s death, students staged a protest on campus on December 20 at around 1pm, claiming that Awais had been under pressure due to short attendance and warnings from teachers that he would be barred from sitting in examinations.

Speaking to the media, Awais’s brother Sohaib Sultan has said the family wants a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death. He emphasized that financial difficulties were not a factor and urged that anyone found responsible be held accountable.

The university administration said it has formed a seven-member committee to investigate the incident. The committee was constituted after consultations with the university’s legal adviser, and officials said the inquiry is ongoing.