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Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Lahore Bilal Siddique Kamyana has ordered a crackdown on the public display of arms and the menace of “Dala Culture” to impress and threaten the public.

Chairing a meeting to review the monthly performance of Civil Lines and Model Town police divisions, the top cop directed DIG (Operations) Faisal Kamran to initiate wide-ranging operations to eliminate the unlawful presence of armed individuals and suppress elements involved in promoting a culture of intimidation and lawlessness.

Emphasising the importance of targeted action against narcotics, he directed officials to backtrack drug-related cases to uncover and dismantle larger smuggling networks.

“There must be no leniency towards drug dealers. Tracing their links is crucial for long-term results,” he said and stressed the need for efficient public service at police front desks, ensuring all applications are addressed promptly.

“Officers must maintain direct contact with complainants to guarantee timely and impartial justice,” he said.

On street crime, the CCPO Kamyana ordered intensified patrolling in hotspot areas and the full utilisation of the police’s surveillance software Hotel Eye to monitor suspicious activities.

In light of security challenges, he directed taking preventive measures at banks, commercial centres and other locations across the city.

The meeting was also attended by DIG (Admin) Imran Kishwar, DIG (Investigation) Zeeshan Raza, SSP (Investigation) Muhammad Naveed as well as relevant SPs, ASPs, Circle Officers and SHOs.

After weeks of reported rifts within the ranks of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has resigned as the provincial chief executive on jailed party founder Imran Khan’ orders.

Amid speculation on the reason behind his sacking and the PTI’s claims of no divides within the party, senior journalist and analyst Ansar has said the development is a “stark reminder of how perilous it can be for even a powerful figure in PTI to end up on the wrong side of the two women closest to incarcerated Khan”.

“The once-fiery PTI stalwart had little political ground left to stand on after a bruising, power struggle with Aleema Khan and an old rift with Bushra Bibi that never truly healed,” Abbasi wrote for The News.

He said that tensions between Gandapur and Bushra Bibi had been simmering since last year when the PTI leadership decided to lead a protest march to Islamabad’s D-Chowk. 

The demonstration had turned bloody after Bushra Bibi had overruled Gandapur and pushed for the march to continue to the heart of the capital despite the latter’s advice to stop at Sangjani on security and strategic grounds.

This, Abbasi said, was the first visible sign that Gandapur’s authority within the party was challenged by Bushra Bibi, who, despite the CM’s reluctance, had joined the march and led it too.

The rift deepened when Bushra Bibi publicly claimed that she had been “left alone” at D-Chowk during the tense standoff — a statement Gandapur publicly rejected. “I was with her from beginning to end,” he had told reporters.

Gandapur, the journalist said, was also upset with the interference into political matters by Bushra Bibi during her stay in Peshawar despite a lack of support from within the party as Imran Khan always trusted her the most.

The more serious confrontation, Abbasi maintained, was recently when Gandapur openly accused Khan’s sister Aleema of engineering a rift within the PTI, further alleging that she was being facilitated by the Military Intelligence (MI) and “establishment.”

“Imran Khan is my leader and I am loyal to him. It is my right to convey the truth to him … I made him aware of all that has been happening [during my meeting with him yesterday],” Gandapur had said in a video statement.

 
The KP CM said that he had conveyed to the party founder that Aleema had a big role in dividing the party and some members being discredited. He also alleged that no steps were being taken for Khan’s release. “Instead, there is groupism in party which some people are using to serve their own interests.”

 
He alleged that Aleema was in contact with “vloggers” working to create divide in the party. “And instead of stopping them… she is provoking them. And Hafeezullah Niazi sahib refers to Aleema Khan as the prime minister in his articles. He writes that she should become the party chairperson,” he alleged.

Days later, Khan had reportedly told Gandapur and Aleema to avoid issuing statements against each other.

After trading barbs for weeks, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) have agreed to a “ceasefire” following an emergency meeting between senior leaders from both sides.

The breakthrough came as PML-N scrambled a delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, to Zardari House in Nawabshah. National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi were also a part of the meeting that came two days after President Asif Ali Zardari intervened to ease the growing rift between the Sindh and Punjab governments.

During the meeting, reports said, President Zardari urged the government delegation to advise their party members to exercise restraint, saying they did not want matters to worsen. The PML-N team made the same request, agreeing that both sides should listen to each other before making any public statements.

Reports said Dar was instrumental in clearing the air between the parties and understanding reached was intended to halt the cycle of tit-for-tat statements that started over flood compensation through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), going on to dominate political headlines for weeks.

The PPP had been calling for the provision of aid to flood victims via BISP — a proposition turned down by the Punjab government. The situation intensified after Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz said other parties were using flood devastation in the province for political mileage.

Her sharp retorts prompted the PPP leadership in both the Senate and the National Assembly to stage walkouts and issue veiled threats of withdrawing from the coalition. They also demanded that CM Maryam apologised for her remarks, which was ruled out by the Punjab chief executive.

She maintained that as the CM, she would defend Punjab and would not apologise for speaking up for her province. CM Maryam also asserted that those who mocked the province during natural calamities should themselves seek forgiveness.

PML-N ministers also retaliated by raising questions on Sindh’s governance record under the PPP.

Amid the war of words, the president had earlier this week held a telephonic conversation with Naqvi to discuss the ongoing tensions and the fate of the ruling coalition.