LAHORE – Punjab government made changes to leadership of food and cane administration, appointing Captain (Retd) Muhammad Waseem in place of Amjad Hafeez with immediate effect.

Muhammad Waseem, a BS-19 officer, moves from the post of Director General Wildlife and Parks to become Director General Food and Cane Commissioner. Hafeez, also in BS-19, has been directed to report to the Services and General Administration Department for further orders.

The incoming DG brings previous experience in sugar price enforcement and agricultural market negotiations to the assignment. During his tenure as Deputy Commissioner Sargodha, Waseem notified district sugar prices in July 2025 and ordered price control magistrates to enforce the rates. Retailers were required to display official price lists, with action promised against violations.

In January 2026, the district administration helped broker an agreement between kinnow growers and factory owners, fixing a rate of Rs1,600 per maund for that week. Farmer representatives credited Waseem with helping resolve the dispute.

His administrative career includes a posting as Deputy Commissioner Bahawalnagar from October 2021 to February 2023. He took charge as Deputy Commissioner Sargodha in August 2024 and was given additional responsibility for Khushab district in December that year.

Waseem subsequently moved to the Wildlife and Parks organisation in late January 2026, replacing Mubeen Elahi. He now takes over Punjab’s food and cane portfolio following assignments spanning district governance, commodity price enforcement and departmental administration.

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ISLAMABAD – Pakistanis will pay Rs379.31 per litre for petrol on Thursday, October 22, 2026, as the government announced a Rs2.71 cut, while high-speed diesel (HSD) will become slightly more expensive.

A day earlier, the government raised diesel by Rs0.31 per litre to Rs390.11, delivering a mixed fuel-price adjustment for consumers. The revised rates apply for October 22.

Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) revised ex-depot prices under the federal government’s petroleum pricing mechanism. The calculation reflected international developments, including changes in Platts quotations, premiums and incidental costs. Pakistan’s petrol relief comes as crude availability improves in the Middle East, although record shipping costs continue to weigh on the movement of oil from the region.

Fresh data shows that Oman crude’s premium over Dubai, a measure of Middle Eastern market strength, dropped to $4.22 per barrel this week, its lowest since late July. That represents a sharp retreat from approximately $30 per barrel in mid-September.

Regional producers have accelerated shuttle shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and ship-to-ship transfers in the Gulf of Oman. These operations have increased available supplies, particularly spot cargoes, helping drive the premium lower. Several tanker-tracking services indicate that Middle Eastern crude flows are recovering, with some estimating shipments have already exceeded pre-war levels.

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ISLAMABAD – PIA is preparing a major expansion of its British network, increasing London Heathrow services to seven flights a week from October 27, 2026, before restoring its Islamabad–Birmingham connection on December 1.

The expansion promises more nonstop travel options for passengers visiting family, conducting business or travelling for tourism, while reducing dependence on connections through Middle Eastern hubs.

Under Heathrow plan, the national carrier will operate five weekly flights from Islamabad and two from Lahore, up from a combined four weekly services. The seven-flight schedule provides daily connectivity between Pakistan and London, although neither Pakistani city will have a daily service individually. Seats for the expanded London operation have already been offered for sale. The increase comes after PIA returned to Heathrow in late March 2026 with approximately four weekly flights, mainly from Islamabad alongside Lahore services.

Birmingham will follow on a separate timetable. Schedule information available in mid-to-late October shows three weekly Islamabad–Birmingham flights beginning December 1, restoring another destination historically served by PIA before its 2020 suspension.

The schedule places outbound flight PK791 on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, departing Islamabad at 12:15 and reaching Birmingham at 16:00. Return flight PK792 is listed to leave Birmingham at 18:30 and arrive in Islamabad at 07:15 the following morning.

Aircraft deployment remains subject to change, with reports mentioning Boeing 777 aircraft or wet-leased capacity. An earlier catering tender had also indicated preparations for Birmingham operations.

The wider UK expansion is expected to receive a capacity boost through the wet lease of two Boeing 787-9 aircraft from Norse Atlantic. The ACMI arrangement covers aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance, with operations expected around early November. The Dreamliners appear in some Heathrow and Manchester schedules.

PIA UK Flights Schedule

This marks another stage in PIA’s return to Britain following years of restrictions. Its UK and European operations were suspended after the May 2020 Karachi A320 crash and concerns over pilot licensing.

UK removed Pakistan from its Air Safety List in July 2025. PIA subsequently resumed Manchester flights in October 2025, followed by London in March 2026.

For passengers planning winter journeys, the distinction between the launch dates is crucial: the combined daily Heathrow schedule begins on October 27, rather than November 1, while Birmingham services are scheduled to start on December 1.

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LAHORE –  Lahore High Court shared verdict on the imposition of 2% stamp duty on the partition of inherited property, ruling that the applicable duty is a fixed Rs500 under the Stamp Act, 1899.

Justice Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh of LHC issued the ruling while accepting a writ petition filed by Muhammad Sajjad, setting aside the 2025 decisions of a civil judge and an additional sessions judge.

In written judgment, the judge declared a judicial precedent, the court held that the lower courts had offered no legal justification for charging duty at 2%. The judgment also clarified that bringing other co-owners into the proceedings as parties does not alter the nature of the case.

The court ruled that a percentage-based financial burden cannot be imposed without lawful authority, affirming the fixed Rs500 stamp duty applicable to inherited property partition.

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LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s cabinet gets another member, with Special Assistant Salma Butt appointed as a provincial minister.

Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan issued the notification, formalising Butt’s elevation from special assistant to a ministerial position.

The newly appointed minister will take her oath of office before the governor.

Before becoming a provincial minister, Salma Butt served as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s special assistant on food safety and consumer protection, taking part in surprise inspections and crackdowns on adulteration and unhygienic food businesses across Punjab.

She conducted several raids under and sealed top eateries found violating food safety regulations.  She also accompanied teams inspecting motorway food outlets. Alongside enforcement, Butt supported initiatives to improve street-food standards through vendor training, medical screening and better food-handling practices.

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Pakistanis spend over $850 million on formula milk (annual basis)

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s infant formula advertisers could face mandatory health warnings, fines or a possible ban after a Senate committee directed media regulator to ensure their commercials clearly state that there is no substitute for breast milk.

Senate Standing Committee on National Health Services issued the directive during its meeting on Tuesday, warning that aggressive promotion of breast milk substitutes could undermine efforts to combat child malnutrition.

Committee Chairman Senator Aamir Waliuddin Chishti told the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) that implementation was essential, while leaving the choice of enforcement measures to the regulator. He said PEMRA could consider banning advertisements, imposing fines or taking other regulatory action to ensure compliance.

Senator Shahzeb Durrani proposed mandatory pictorial warnings on formula milk advertisements, drawing a comparison with warnings used for cigarettes. Durrani reminded the regulator that the committee had previously called for discouraging formula milk promotion, particularly where mothers are able to breastfeed but choose alternatives.

PEMRA Chairperson Ambreen Jan suggested banning formula milk advertisements. Committee members, however, said the authority to decide and enforce such regulatory measures rested with PEMRA. Jan also presented public awareness messages highlighting breastfeeding’s importance and the nutritional benefits of breast milk.

The committee’s intervention comes against a troubling backdrop of childhood malnutrition. UNICEF estimates cited in the report put the number of children affected by stunting in Pakistan at approximately 10 million, while only 38 per cent of infants are exclusively breastfed during their first six months.

The committee’s directive places pressure on PEMRA to act, although the discussion did not amount to an announcement of an advertising ban.

Pakistani families spend $880 million on formula milk annually, while inadequate breastfeeding contributes to an estimated 33,700 child deaths and $2.8 billion in economic losses, experts told the Pakistan Paediatric Association’s conference in Islamabad.

With exclusive breastfeeding at just 48.4%, specialists warned that babies under six months who receive no breast milk face a 15-fold higher risk of death, mainly from diarrhoea and pneumonia.

Experts also flagged drug-resistant typhoid, rising childhood HIV infections, newborn deaths and air pollution, urging tighter controls on formula marketing, stronger breastfeeding protections and better access to preventive care and treatment.

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