Category: National

A crash involving a bus and a trailer occurred near Khanewal on Motorway M-4, resulted in the death of the bus hostess and left four passengers injured. 

The Motorway Police indicated that the bus, en route from Lahore to Multan, crashed after the driver dozed off.

Separately, two brothers died while their father was injured in Bahawalpur on Hasilpur-Chishtian Road. Police reported that the family’s vehicle collided with a trailer. 

Earlier in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, a passenger coach collided with a car, leaving three people dead and nine injured. Police said the vehicles were moving in opposite directions when the collision occurred.

Traffic accidents continue to occur frequently on Punjab’s roads, often involving buses, trailers, and passenger vehicles. Busy highways and long-distance routes remain high-risk areas for drivers and travelers.

Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique skipped scheduled visits to public sector health facilities in Multan on Friday, choosing to attend a wedding ceremony instead with his official cavalcade comprising multiple SUVs and police vehicles.

According to reports, the minister’s office issued an official alert on Thursday to the Multan commissioner, regional police officer, deputy commissioner, city police officer and information officer, notifying them about his official tour.

“Punjab Health Minister Khwaja Salman Rafique will proceed on an official tour to Multan as per the schedule/programme given in the letter,” the notification stated.

The Punjab Health Department mentioned official vehicles, including GBK-313 (Fortuner) and GBK-434 (Double Cabin), in the letter for senior officers to arrange protocol.

According to the official schedule, the minister was scheduled to depart from Lahore at 8:30am and reach the Circuit House in Multan at 12 noon. He was supposed to visit Nishtar Medical University at 1pm, Nishtar Hospital at 2pm, Nishtar Hospital-2 at 3pm and leave for Lahore at 4pm on Friday.

Officials at NMU and the attached government hospitals confirmed that the minister did not visit any of the scheduled locations. Instead, he attended a wedding ceremony before returning to Lahore.

The visit attracted strong criticism on social media after pictures of the minister with the doctor went viral. Critics accused him of misusing official resources for a private trip. Multan sits 340km south from Lahore.

The controversy deepened when it emerged that the wedding was of the the son of a doctor recently held guilty of gross negligence in a medicines theft case and awarded a major penalty under the PEEDA Act.

However, Khwaja Salman Rafique defended himself, saying that as a political figure, nothing bars him from attending private ceremonies.

“Though I didn’t visit the NMU and attached hospitals in Multan as per the officially announced schedule, I held some meetings at Circuit House which were related to health issues,” the minister said.

“I spent a busy day in Multan where I attended a private marriage party and met many people being a politician,” he added.

The minister claimed that certain elements involved in corrupt practices in the health sector were trying to make his official tour controversial. “I will keep hammering them for looting public funds for their vested interests,” he warned.

A Lahore resident has found himself at the center of a traffic violation scandal after authorities discovered 500 motorcycles registered under his name, accumulating over Rs2.3 million in fines.

Sadiq Khan, a resident of Garhi Shahu in Lahore, came under scrutiny when a traffic warden stopped a motorcycle registered in his name at Campus Pull. The initial stop revealed an outstanding e-challan of Rs12,000 against the vehicle.

However, further investigation uncovered a far more extensive problem. Records showed that authorities have registered a total of 500 motorcycles under Sadiq Khan’s name. The Safe City Authority has issued 2,071 traffic challans against these vehicles so far.

The accumulated fines against Sadiq Khan now total Rs23,88,700.

This incident follows a similar controversy that emerged earlier in November when a motorist received five separate fines worth Rs50,000 in a single day. 

The Karachi citizen, Hakimullah, reported that all five challans were generated on October 30. Three of the challans were recorded at 12:03 pm in Mauripur while the fourth and fifth were issued ten minutes later at 12:13 pm in Hasan Square.

Hakimullah stated that authorities imposed all fines for failing to wear a seatbelt. He expressed shock after discovering that paying them would cost him Rs50,000. 

Punjab has recently implemented a new traffic enforcement framework introducing sharply higher fines, electronic ticketing, and a penalty-points system for driving licenses under the Punjab Motor Vehicle Ordinance 2025. 

Under the new regulations, fines for common violations range from Rs2,000 to Rs20,000, a significant increase from the previous Rs100-500 range. Motorcyclists caught speeding now face Rs2,000 penalties, while car drivers could be fined up to Rs5,000.

The revised system includes signal violation fines of Rs2,000 to Rs15,000, wrong-way driving penalties of Rs2,000 to Rs15,000, and rash driving fines between Rs3,000 and Rs15,000. 

The ordinance also introduces a points-based mechanism where each violation results in a deduction of two to four points, with licenses suspended once a driver accumulates 20 points within a year.

Red-signal violations carry penalties of Rs2,000 for motorcycles, Rs3,000 for three-wheelers and Rs5,000 for cars. Overloading violations have also been reclassified, with fines ranging from Rs3,000 for rickshaws to Rs15,000 for trailers.

Pakistan issued a final warning on Thursday to major social media platforms, urging them to align with local regulations and take decisive action against militant content or face consequences similar to those experienced in Brazil, where X was briefly suspended last year.

During a briefing with foreign media in Islamabad, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry and Minister of State for Law and Justice Aqeel Malik stated that the government had officially expressed its concerns to platforms such as X, Meta, Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and Telegram.

The ministers conveyed that Pakistan expects these companies to enhance moderation efforts, strengthen collaboration with law enforcement, and implement tools designed to detect extremist activity before it spreads.

Chaudhry declared, “This is our last warning. These companies must comply with Pakistani laws, establish offices in Pakistan, and use AI and algorithmic tools to identify terror-linked accounts,” Chaudhry said.

He mentioned that authorities had discovered several accounts connected to regional militant organizations across different platforms.

 “These accounts are linked to organizations already proscribed by the United States and the United Nations,” he emphasized, highlighting what officials described as cross-border online activity contributing to radicalization and security challenges.

The warning references Brazil’s approach, noting that in June of the previous year, the South American country’s Supreme Court temporarily blocked X after the platform declined to remove accounts accused of disseminating misinformation related to the 2022 presidential elections. 

The ban was lifted in October after X paid a fine of $5.1 million and appointed a local representative as mandated by Brazilian law.

Chaudhry remarked that Pakistan had consistently raised the matter, including a comprehensive briefing to platforms on July 24, yet the responses remained “insufficient.” 

He described X as the least cooperative, whereas TikTok and Telegram exhibited relatively better compliance.

Officials indicated that the government has also requested platforms to supply IP addresses of accounts associated with militancy and to prevent the creation of duplicate accounts through advanced filtering systems.

Malik stated that the issue had been discussed not only with the companies but also with the governments of the countries where these platforms are headquartered. 

“Pakistan is a frontline state against terrorism and continues to pay the price for global terrorism. The world must cooperate with Pakistan in this war,” he said, warning that failure to comply might force the government to take action against non-cooperative platforms.

Norwegian Ambassador to Pakistan Per Albert Ilsaas arrived at the Supreme Court of Pakistan early on Thursday morning to observe appeal proceedings filed by lawyers Imaan Hazir Mazari and her husband Advocate Hadi Ali Chatha, journalist Matiullah Jan tweeted. 

A video posted on X by Matiullah Jan showed the Ambassador entering the premises where he is greeted by journalist Asad Toor and Imaan before being accompanied inside the building, followed by a few other people and lawyers. 

The lawyer duo is facing possible jail time in a case filed under PECA for tweets that has been described as controversial by many legal experts. 

The District and Sessions court in Islamabad adjourned the hearing of the case until December 15 while the couple awaits transfer of their case to Islamabad High Court. 

At the previous hearing, Imaan Mazari told presiding judge, Justice Afzal Majoka, that if she was to be given a seven-year jail sentence, she was prepared to accept it. The judge chose not to respond to her remarks. 

Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha also filed a petition expressing no confidence in Judge Afzal Majoka, requesting that the case be transferred to the Islamabad High Court.

Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Rashid Langrial, in an informal conversation with the media, revealed that the FBR has issued notices to 30 individuals who flaunted their luxurious lifestyles on social media but underreported their income in tax returns.

According to Langrial, individuals who display expensive clothing, homes, vehicles, and even horses on the internet are now being investigated for filing inaccurate or incomplete tax returns.

“We have compiled detailed data on those who either did not file tax returns or submitted false information while publicly displaying wealth,” he added.

He confirmed the appointment of a Chief Commissioner for Enforcement to supervise these activities across the country. 

This single authority will now supervise all actions taken against tax evaders, and daily reports on the crackdown will be compiled.

Langrial declared, “We will continue robust action against tax evaders across the country.”

Additionally, Langrial underlined that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the FBR to implement the strictest measures and has zero tolerance for tax evasion. On smuggling, he said that customs authorities are carrying out daily operations to curb the inflow of smuggled goods, and the campaign will continue without pause.

He went on to say that smugglers had harmed customs officials, noting  that two tax officers have lost their lives in the line of duty.

Following the death of a seven-year-old boy who fell into an open manhole in Lodhran, the Punjab government has launched an AI-powered monitoring system, Talk to Camera, across the province, with the aim to improve public safety and support rapid response to urban hazards.

Developed by the Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA), Talk to Camera aims to identify dangers such as exposed manholes, overflowing trash bins, and visible smoke. The system also enables officers to interact with the camera network using natural language, granting them the ability to identify threats in real-time.

Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz unveiled the initiative on Tuesday, directly linking it to the incident in Lodhran. In a message on X, she stated, “In light of the devastating event in Lodhran, where a valuable life was lost due to an uncovered manhole, the Punjab Safe Cities Authority has created ‘Talk to Camera’, an innovative AI system that allows officers to inquire about the entire camera network using natural language.”

The system was initially tested in Lahore and Sheikhupura, where officials reported positive outcomes. Following these trials, the provincial government decided to expand the system’s implementation across Punjab to bolster rapid response and enhance smart city management.

Maryam Nawaz stated that cameras would also be installed in schools as part of the initiative to stop preventable accidents. She expressed, “After successful pilot launches in Lahore and Sheikhupura, Talk to Camera is now being extended throughout Punjab to improve rapid response capability and advance smart city management.”

This rollout is an aspect of a broader initiative by the Punjab government to enhance civic surveillance and utilize technology for accident prevention. According to PSCA, the system automatically detects hazards, enabling authorities to respond promptly when potential threats appear in public areas.

Officials indicate that the system can recognize various types of risks at the same time and can be accessed through straightforward language requests, minimizing delays in emergency reporting and response.

The implementation signifies a commitment to incorporating artificial intelligence into city governance, with the government framing the initiative as a mechanism to decrease accidents and enhance safety in urban areas and public facilities.