The Punjab government is expected to face higher expenses following the acquisition of a new VIP aircraft, the Gulfstream G500, reports quoted sources.
Sources have said that a summary seeking an additional Rs 861.5 million for VIP flight operations has been prepared.
The supplementary grant could cover operational and maintenance costs of the Gulfstream G500, including mandatory training in the United States (US) for pilots and engineers.
Additional subscriptions and programs may cost around Rs 497.8 million, while insurance for the aircraft is expected to rise significantly compared to previous arrangements.
To meet operational requirements, the Punjab government is reportedly planning to hire more chief mechanics and aircraft technicians.
Maintenance, cleaning, and other related costs for the Gulfstream G500 have also increased. On February 22, a newscaster on a private news channel presented a report on the preparation and purchase of the aircraft, highlighting the associated costs and operational requirements.
Aviation sources said the government purchased a seven-year-old Gulfstream G500 with US registration N144S, valued at approximately Rs 1 billion.
Flight records indicate the aircraft arrived in Lahore on December 28 via North America and Egypt and remained grounded at Allama Iqbal Airport for about 40 days for refurbishment. Its first flight in Pakistan took place on February 6 from Lahore to Multan.
The Gulfstream G500, built in 2019, is a long-range aircraft designed for heads of state and business executives. It can cover 8,334 kilometers in a single flight at speeds of 1,000 kilometers per hour and accommodates 13 passengers, according to the Gulfstream Aerospace website.
Local flights began on February 6, mostly under its registered call sign. Between February 10 and 12, it operated as “Punjab Two” from Lahore to Quetta and Lahore to Mianwali, and again on February 16 for a Lahore to Sialkot round trip.
The Crime Control Department (CCD) of Punjab has said that a comparative review of crime data for the post-May period of 2024 and 2025 shows a reduction in reported crime across the province, particularly Lahore.
According to the department, it began operations in May last year and recently held a meeting to review its performance. It stated that Lahore recorded a decline in major crime categories during the period under review.
The CCD said murder cases in Lahore fell from 361 to 220, a decrease of 39 percent, while attempted murder declined from 812 to 504, down 38 percent. Dacoity dropped from 35 to 15, and house dacoity from 33 to 6.
Robbery cases decreased from 8,213 to 1,823, recording a 78 percent reduction. Theft within boundary walls fell by nine percent and burglary by 44 percent, while motorcycle and car snatching decreased by 69 percent and 50 percent, respectively.
Across Punjab, murders declined from 3,952 to 3,022, down 24 per cent, while attempted murder fell by 18 per cent. Dacoity and robbery dropped by 60 percent and 53 percent. Theft within boundary walls decreased by 17 percent and burglary by 27 percent.
The department said that 19 police officials were martyred during operations across the province, while 167 personnel, including 13 CCD members, sustained firearm-related or other injuries.
Meanwhile, the CCD rejected allegations contained in a fact-finding report issued by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) regarding police encounters in Punjab.
The rights body, in its report, called for a judicial inquiry into encounter-related deaths and said at least 670 encounters were conducted over eight months in 2025, resulting in 924 suspects killed, while two police officials lost their lives.
In a press release, the CCD said it does not pursue a policy of staged encounters and operates in accordance with the Constitution, the Police Order 2002 and criminal procedure laws. It said arrest remains the primary objective of its operations and that use of force is governed by legality, necessity and proportionality.
The department said lethal force is used only in situations involving armed resistance or imminent threat to life. It added that law enforcement personnel often face armed groups and act in self-defence to protect themselves and civilians.
Responding to concerns about misconduct, the CCD said any abuse of authority by individual officers is unacceptable. It stated that officials found involved in corruption, abuse of power or professional misconduct are proceeded against under departmental and criminal laws.
The department reiterated that it maintains a zero-tolerance policy against torture, corruption, fabrication of evidence, intimidation of citizens and unlawful use of force.
The Punjab School Education Department has barred private schools from compelling parents to purchase books, uniforms or other items from specific shops or vendors.
In a formal directive issued to private educational institutions, the department stated that schools are not permitted to direct parents to designated sellers for uniforms, books or any required school items. The notification said such practices violate the laws governing private schools in the province.
According to the directive, parents must not be pressured into making compulsory purchases from particular outlets. The department said that any private school found enforcing such conditions would be acting in breach of regulations.
The notification further advised parents to report violations. Complaints can be submitted to the relevant District Education Authority in their respective districts, it added.
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat said, “Private educational institutions are strictly prohibited from forcing parents to purchase books, uniforms or other items from any specific shop or vendor”.
“Any such violation will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law,” added.
Hayat said the department is focused on enforcing existing regulations and safeguarding parents’ rights.
The directive follows earlier action taken by the Competition Commission of Pakistan against private schools over similar practices. In November last year, the CCP issued show-cause notices to 17 major private schools for selling school-logo notebooks, workbooks and uniforms to students.
According to details shared at the time, the notices were issued after the completion of an inquiry report. The schools were directed to submit written responses within 14 days.
The inquiry report stated that the schools were accused of abusing their dominant position by compelling students to purchase logo-branded notebooks and uniforms at higher prices.
The investigation also found that several schools had undisclosed arrangements with specific vendors for the sale of these items.
Social media influencer Ken Doll aka Adnan Zafar has issued an apology after finding himself in the middle of a major clash with other content creators for posting a promotional video in collaboration with the Punjab government.
As per the details, Zafar had in his video raved about how a province with “someone as beautiful as Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz running it, had to of course, be advancing very well”.
After he was called out for comparing good governance with beauty by other influencers, including Ansar and Gram by Noor, he lashed back and threatened them, saying that he could break eyeglasses, which Ansar said was in reference to the glasses he was wearing, and pull wires out of teeth, which seemed to be in reference to Noor’s braces.
The Current made a compilation on the issue that can be viewed below.
Zafar’s response stirred further controversy as several influencers jumped in saying that his attitude and reaction were demeaning and not okay.
Amid severe backlash, he deleted his previous videos and shared to his Instagram account an apology on Thursday night.
In the video, he said there are two sides to every story. Everyone has opinions and everyone has a choice on how they would like to respond, either in a positive way or a negative way, he added.
“I believe my response was not the right one,” Zafar said, adding that people were very hurt.
The influencer said that he got a lot of comments and messages and he has nothing to hide. And so, he added, he was asking for forgiveness just like a younger brother or friend.
Zafar also said that his community on social media was like a big family and he should be a responsible member of that family.
The video has so far been lauded by his followers and many celebrities, including Hania Aamir, Anushay Ashraf and Faryal Makhdoom.
The Punjab government on Tuesday submitted a report to the Lahore High Court (LHC) regarding the total number of registered cases against the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, in the province.
According to a report submitted by Punjab Assistant Advocate General Muhammad Farrukh Lodhi, 54 cases have been registered against the former premier in Punjab.
“Out of 54 cases, 21 cases have been registered against incarcerated founder PTI in Lahore alone, 19 cases in Rawalpindi division, and seven in Sheikupura,” the report said.
“Five cases in Faisalabad and one case in Gujranwala have also been registered against Imran Khan,” it added.
Assistant Attorney General Sardar Ameer Hamza Dogar also submitted a report in LHC, as per which, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had registered three cases against the incarcerated former PM.
The development comes after Noreen Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, filed a petition in the LHC seeking details of the cases against her brother in Punjab.
It may be noted that former PM Khan was arrested from his residence in Zaman Park, Lahore, shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case in August last year and has been in jail since then on multiple charges.
Currently, he is held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail under high security and with B-class facilities due to his status as a former prime minister.
Earlier, the founder of PTI was also kept in Attock Jail.
He is facing several cases, including the £190 million reference and a new Toshakhana case.
Meanwhile, speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Barrister Salman Safdar, the lawyer of the PTI founder, claimed that Imran Khan will soon be acquitted in the Al-Qadir Trust case, noting that in the worst scenario, if the party founder was even convicted, “the sentence will be suspended within 15 days.”
“All cases against Imran Khan have vanished, including both Toshakhana one and Toshakhana two,” Barrister Salman Safdar said.
A recent Geo Fact Check story reveals that the Punjab government has awarded the contract for its nutrition program to a private company instead of the Fauji Foundation, which will provide free milk to school children. The project is worth Rs 27 billion.
Initially, it was claimed that Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s newly launched school nutrition programme, under which milk cartons will be provided free to children in primary government schools, was given to Fauji Foods Limited.
Online claims also stated that Fauji Foods Limited will get a profit of Rs 7.1 billion through the deal.
However, the reality is that the contract for the nutrition project has gone to Metro Pakistan Private Limited and not Fauji Foods Limited, a Punjab government official and a Metro employee confirmed to Geo Fact Check.
A focal person for the Punjab Education Minister, Fahad Nisar, told Geo Fact Check in a written reply that only Metro Pakistan has been awarded the contract to supply milk packets to children in three districts of the province, including Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffar. Garh and Rajanpur.
Additionally, he said that the agreement with Metro is valid till May 30, 2025.
An advertisement for the project was published in May this year, after which four companies were qualified for the bidding process, but only two (Engro Pakistan and Metro Pakistan) submitted their bids.
Fauji Foods did not even apply for the project.
The focal person revealed that among the submitted bids, Metro’s was the lowest.
“The price of Ultra High Temperature (UHT) full cream milk in Dera Ghazi Khan and Muzaffargarh, including fortnightly delivery, is Rs 64 per 175 ml and Rs 63.75 for Rajanpur,” the official told Geo FactCheck.
Metro Pakistan also confirmed that there is an active agreement between Metro Pakistan and District Education Authorities in Rajanpur, Dera Ghazi Khan and Muzaffargarh.
It also denied that the contract was a joint venture with any other company. The total value of the contract, including taxes, is five billion rupees.
Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz announced a Rs. 27 billion plan to provide free milk to young children in the province to combat stunting.
The project was initially launched in Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, and Rajanpur, where malnutrition and stunting rates are highest.
Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted post-arrest bail to an underage driver involved in the fatal car accident in the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase Seven that resulted in the death of six members of a family last year.
Proceedings of the case
Suspect Afnan Shafqat’s lawyer stated that three co-suspects have been found innocent in police investigation. Additonally, the geofencing of the incident also showed that witnesses were not present at the scene.
The court also inquired whether the suspect, who was 17 and a half years old at the time of the accident, was declared a juvenile. To this the lawyer confirmed that the police declared the suspect a juvenile in the charge sheet.
He said as per law, if the trial does not start within six months, bail should be granted.
Victim’s lawyer opposed the bail and argued that the discrepancies in the versions of his client were due to state of shock when he gave the initial statement and provided a supplementary statement once he regained his composure.
He stated in front of the court that the statements of the witnesses are not relevant to the bail petition.
The bench observed that the decision on bail would be based on the available evidence.
The victims’ lawyer told court that the suspect did not merely hit the vehicle accidentally, but he forcefully hit it with intent.
Forensic report
The court was told a forensic report of the vehicles was still pending and a medical board had been formed to assess the juvenile status of the suspect.The lawyer argued that a decision on the bail should be made in light of the medical board’s report.
Bail granted
Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, the head of the judicial bench allowed the bail petition of the suspect after furnishing surety bonds.
Case so far
The Punjab police is yet to receive the test reports of Afnan Shafqat, the primary accused in the death of six members of a family while driving a car without a license in DHA Phase 7, Lahore.
According to sources, the Polygraph and Photogrammetric test of Afnan was conducted by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency. The polygraph test is conducted to detect lies while the photogrammetric test is a part of forensic analysis where an accurate 3D reconstruction of an accident or crime scene is done especially in cases where position, distance, and perspective are important to determine.
However, police has not received the Ossification test conducted to determine the age of Afnan. Police will further proceed with the case after receiving the results of reports, reports The News.
On November 23, an anti-terrorism court in Lahore handed over the underage driver Afnan Shafqat to the police for five days on physical remand. During the hearing, the investigation officer (IO) of the case told the court that the age of suspect was over 17 and a medical test was required to determine his actual age.
Meanwhile, Judge Abher Gul Khan extended the pre-arrest bail of the suspect’s father Shafqat Ali till Dec 4, reports Dawn.
Previously, another suspect named Ibrahim, a friend of the teenage boy Afnan, also sitting in the car with him when the car got into an accident in Defence Phase 7 has been arrested by the police.
According to a report by the Dawn News, four of the friends were there in the car when the tragic accident took place. They were Saad, Ali and Ibrahim along the prime accused Afnan.
The police has started the process of Ossification to determine the age of the suspect. Lahore Investigation DIG Imran Kishwar said the decision was made following the conflicting reports/claims either he was underage or a teen. Initially, the police were told that the prime suspect was 17 years old, he said.
The Ossification is a test that determines age based on the degree of fusion of bone by taking the x-ray of a few bones. This process of the bone formation is based on the fusion of joints between birth and the age of 25 years in an individual.
The police added terrorism and murder charges to the already registered case against a teenage boy who killed six of a family in DHA Phase 7, Lahore. On the other hand, head of the family who was in the other car expressed his disappointment over this new development. Rafaqat Ali claims that the boy killed his family members over a grudge.
He alleges that the boy was not alone at the time when he ‘deliberately’ hit the car of his family while driving his four-wheeler at high speed (over 100 km/h) at Phase VII. He also mentioned that the two other accomplices were also accompanying him in the car at the time of the incident, reports Dawn.
The prime suspect had a prior brawl with his family members when they chased his car on the road, to which he demanded the addition of more sections to the FIR to punish all the suspects.
The Police has stated that the boy was chasing the family in the car and on interruption at a point he had threatened the family that he would not let them drive in DHA’s jurisdiction, another act that reflected his ‘mindset’.
The police had sent notices to the accomplices as mentioned in Rafaqat’s statement.
New revelations are coming up as the investigation continues in the case of a teenage boy who killed six people of a family in a road accident in DHA Lahore.
Crackdown on Young drivers
In light of the accident, the Lahore chief traffic officer (CTO) said the police lodged 998 cases against underage drivers during the last three days and sent many of them behind bars, besides seizing their vehicles, including motorbikes.
Caretaker CM Naqvi also issued a directive to be strict against underage drivers.
The proceedings of the case up till now
Previously, In a geo.tv report, Azam Malik reported that the teenage boy, Afnan, was stalking the car of the deceased victims after he had a brawl with them. The driver of the car Hasnain, reprimanded Afnan for harassing the women travelling with him, raising the speed to dodge Afnan but the boy kept following him.
A third car that was following them was being driven by Hasnain’s father. At some point, near Y Block’s Nala, the two of them stopped the car to scold Afnan but the boy remained adamant and cursed at the two in response.
The stance of the Punjab government
The Punjab government has stated that Afnan hit Hasnain’s vehicle near McDonald Chowk in Phase 7 at a speed of 160 km/hr. As a result, Hasnain’s car overturned and fell some 70 feet away. Four people came to rescue Afnan but left him after seeing the rage of the crowd. Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has told IG Punjab to add sections of terrorism against the accused.
The proceedings of the Court
The family of the victims have alleged that the police is not cooperating with them. Previously, the judicial magistrate at Cantonment Courts on Tuesday sent the boy to jail on judicial remand whereas the police asked for a physical remand. The counsel for the suspect denied the charges, leading to the magistrate turning down the police’s request.
The catch in the case
The case lodged by the police is in line with the statements of the witnesses that the boy was driving the car alone which led to the accident, claiming the lives of six people including two children but a video statement released by the Lahore Traffic Police on Twitter showed the boy himself claiming that he and his friends were going to the McDonalds in Phase Seven in a high speed when they hit the victim’s car.
In a bid to clear the air around tax being imposed on graves in Punjab, the government has said that no ‘grave tax’ has been levied in Punjab and no proposal for such a tax is under consideration.
Recently, a widely shared clip from Samaa News in 2019 resurfaced, which claimed that the government is imposing a tax for about 1500 rupees on the graves of adults and children in the budget for the next year.
Asia Gul, Special Secretary for Local Government and Community Development in Lahore, told Geo Fact Check that the news is “fake”.
“The local government department has neither initiated any such proposal nor has the government approved any such proposal,” she said.
Aslam Nadeem, director of administration and finance at the Punjab Shahr Khumshan Authority, who is responsible for establishing model cemeteries across the province, also confirmed that he has not seen any such proposal and was unaware of any tax on graves in the province.
The Punjab budget for 2024-25 also has no mention of a tax on graves.
An official notification of a “sale tax invoice” from the Punjab Ombudsman placing an order of five Samsung Galaxy S24 and seven iPhone Pro Max worth Rs. 76 lacs created a stir on social media. Netizens criticised the government for wasting money, but the government claimed otherwise.
A number of X (formerly Twitter) users criticised the government for spending extravagantly on such accessories. Journalist and academic Ali Moeen Nwazish posted on X: “This is exactly why people don’t pay tax in Pakistan. If you want people to pay tax, show that it is being spent on people like their healthcare and education, and not on land cruisers, iPhones, servants, luxuries and plots for the elite bureaucrats, judges and military officers.”
Another user named Osama Yawar shared the notification with the caption, “Is this how taxpayers money is being wasted by officials who can’t even write an email?”
To put more fuel to the fire, a citizen named Sohaib Qureshi, claiming to be an expert on E-Commerce, shared that the company The Laptop Store, with which the Ombudsman has placed an order, is allegedly non-filer. To prove his claim, Sohaib attached a screenshot from the FBR website where the company has no record of tax to its name. “More than one million is a sales tax but this laptop store is non compliant in sales tax,” Sohaib wrote.
Punjab’s Information Minister Azma Bukhari told The Current that Punjab’s Ombudsman is an autonomous body and does not come under Punjab government, “It’s from an autonomous body, not by Punjab government,” she said.
However, the Punjab Ombudsman was reluctant to respond to our request for confirmation of the viral notification. Even after multiple calls, there was no explicit answer, but an inside source revealed that this is a normal process and it seems authentic as it has the signature of the accounts officer of Punjab’s Ombudsman. The same source elaborated that the Punjab Ombudsman has its own budget and works independently. The phones are not for personal use but for official use only.
An account titled Jmhoori Martial Law asked people to explain the difference between Iphone 15 pro max with 512 GB and Samsaung Galaxy with the same storage. “Other Pakistani brands available in Pakistan, do they have better capability to record videos?” the handle asked.
The Ombudsman office is empowered to entertain complaints against any department commission or office of the Provincial Government or a statutory corporation or other institution established or controlled by the Provincial Government but does not include the High Court and the Courts working under the supervision of High Court and Provincial Assembly and its Secretariat, explains the official website as its primary function.
Punjab’s Information Minister Azma Bukhari, alongside Minister of Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora, announced the approval of the first-ever Sikh Marriage Act by the provincial assembly on Wednesday.
This new legislation will be made effective immediately. The milestone act will recognize and facilitate Sikh marriages within the province.
Minister of Minority Affairs Ramesh Singh Arora expressed gratitude towards Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for championing minority rights. He highlighted the recent Easter grant to 10,000 families and efforts to engage with Sikh and Hindu communities through legislative reforms.
Reflecting on the significance of the Sikh Marriage Act, the minister of minorities underscored ongoing efforts to draft similar legislation for Hindu marriages and outline a roadmap for future initiatives.
Along with this Act, the Punjab cabinet approved Rs. 400 billion Kisan Card project and “Apna Ghar Apna Chhat” project, set to inaugurate on August 14 with plans to construct 100,000 houses across Punjab.
