– Voting has begun in three polling stations in Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly Constituency GBA-16 Diamer-II and will continue till 5:00 p.m.

The Election Tribunal ordered a re-poll on a petition filed by Syed Imam Malik challenging alleged irregularities in three polling stations. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) candidate Ataullah Shah was declared the winner after counting the postal votes with 6,618 votes.

Shah beats Syed Imam Malik by just 13 votes. However, the Election Tribunal on November 6 suspended his participation in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly and ordered re-election in three constituencies.

In total, 2,780 registered voters have the right to vote in three polling stations.

Air pollution continued to grip Lahore, with the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 269, indicating unhealthy air quality.

Wind speed in the city was recorded at 5 kilometres per hour, blowing from the northwest. Wind speeds are expected to reach 11 kilometers per hour in the afternoon, which could lead to some improvements in air quality.

Following the directives of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, an anti-smog operation is underway across the province as authorities step up efforts to curb local sources of pollution. In the last 24 hours, enforcement teams have targeted industrial units, brick kilns, plastic-related companies and commercial cooking plants for violating environmental regulations and imposed fines of millions of rupees.

Authorities inspected 272 industrial units in Punjab, sealed 11 industrial units and demolished two offending units. A fine of Rs 13.25 lakh was also imposed.

In this crackdown on brick kilns, a total of 513 brick kilns were inspected, 24 sealed, 6 demolished and 8 cases initiated. The total fine was 18,000,000 rubles.

As part of the fight against substandard plastic, officials inspected 183 locations and confiscated 294 kg of plastic and imposed an additional fine of 30,000 rubles. A total of 92 barbecue restaurants and commercial cooking establishments were tested to control oil fume emissions. Extractors are installed in 58 places, but three rooms are cordoned off. Wind speed, direction and air pollution levels are continuously monitored using scientific data from Climate Watch, while anti-smog measures are implemented in accordance with the prevailing weather conditions.

Senior Punjab Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said weather conditions were beyond the government’s control but regulating local sources of pollution was its responsibility, adding that no leniency would be shown in enforcing environmental laws. She urged farmers not to burn crop residues and called on citizens to avoid activities that create smog and contribute to air pollution.

Sugarcane cultivation in Punjab has increased by 16 per cent this year compared to the previous year, according to official sources.

The Punjab government has issued a notification announcing the commencement of the sugarcane crushing season from today. According to the statement, all sugar mills in Punjab will purchase sugarcane from growers and mills will determine the price of sugarcane based on market mechanisms.

Sources said the area under sugarcane cultivation in Punjab this year stood at 2.452 million acres, a 16% increase over last year.