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Punjab government has announced new timings during the holy month of Ramadan for schools in the province. 

From Monday to Thursday, shools will open at 8:30 am and close at 1:00 pm. On Fridays, schools will close at 12:30 pm. 

For double-shift schools, the first shift will run from 8:30 am to 12:00 PM, whereas the second shift will be held from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. 

A notification issued by the provincial government states that girls’ schools will be allowed to dismiss students 15 minutes prior to the above mentioned schedule. 

The exact date of the first of Ramadan is not confirmed as of yet. The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet in Peshawar for the sighting of the Ramadan moon on February 28 (Friday). If the crescent is sighted on that night, March 1 will be the first day of Ramadan.

Pakistan Meteorological Department and the Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) have separately determined that  the holy month of Ramadan will likeky start on March 2.

The Punjab government has decided to amend decades-old criminal laws to modernise the province’s legal framework, media reports said Tuesday.

According to reports, the government has established a Legal Reforms Committee to draft amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) 1898, the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) 1860, and the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order (QSO) 1984.

While CrPC is procedural legislation for prosecuting, trying and punishing criminals under substantive criminal law, PPC is the law that defines crimes and their punishments. The QSO, on the other hand, is the law of evidence. It includes Islamic rules such as competency of witnesses, number and gender of witnesses, exclusion of accomplice’s evidence, provisions for oaths as a way to determine cases and provisions for legitimacy.

The reforms will focus on crime prevention, law enforcement efficiency and public safety, with special emphasis on laws pertaining to the protection of women and children. The committee will also suggest amendments related to counterterrorism, cybercrime, cybersecurity and interprovincial coordination.

The Punjab Home Department has issued a notification confirming the committee’s formation. DIG Kamran Adil has been appointed as chairman while Additional Secretary (Judicial) Imran Hussain Ranjha will serve as secretary.

Other members include legal and prosecution officials, and the committee is expected to submit its report within three months.

In December 2024, the Punjab cabinet, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, had approved a series of significant reforms and projects aimed at improving governance, agriculture and social welfare across the province. Significant approvals included the formal establishment of the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority under the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority Rules 2024.

The cabinet also approved the delegation of hearing powers to assistant commissioners for the Punjab Environment and Regulatory Authority.

A spike has been reported in incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s expenses at the Adiala Jail since after his wife and former first lady Bushra Bibi was also locked up in the Al-Qadir Trust case last month.

According to reports, the total cost of Khan’s meals and other expenses has jumped from Rs400,000-500,000 to Rs700,000 with jailed Bushra adding Rs200,000 to it.

The expenses, including food, are being borne by former prime minister’s (PM) family, reports said and added that these included the customized breakfast, lunch and dinner menus set by Khan himself.

Reports also quoted sources as saying that the incarcerated couple’s meals were prepared in a separate kitchen.

On Khan’s dietary habits, reports quoted sources as saying that he preferred fresh juice and fruits in breakfast, three coffees a day, and all his meals were checked by nutritionists. Moreover, he regularly has pink salmon as well as desi chicken broth.

It merits a mention that Bushra joined Khan in jail as legal woes of the former premier continued with a rigorous imprisonment sentence in the Toshakhana reference last month.

The Toshakhana – state gifts storehouse – has been under a microscope ever since the emergence of the allegations that Khan purchased the gifts he received as PM at throwaway rates and sold them off in the open market for staggering profits.

Accountability court’s Judge Muhammad Bashir announced the verdict in January, also disqualifying Khan for 10 years while handing over a fine of Rs1.57 billion — Rs787 million each — to the couple. 

Khan told the court that his wife had nothing to do with the case and was being humiliated by forcibly being dragged into it.

Following the verdict, Bushra, who was not present in court when the sentence was announced, arrived at the Adiala Jail and surrendered before the authorities.

NAB had filed the reference against the duo for unlawfully taking a Rs1.57 billion jewelry set, including necklaces, earrings, bracelets and a ring, from the Toshakhana. Khan and Bushra had only paid Rs9 million for the set and had fixed the price of the jewelry set through a private firm.