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Maryam inaugurates 5 road projects under Punjab PPP Authority
– Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has digitally inaugurated five road projects under the Punjab Public-Private Partnership Authority, with the management and operation of the five roads handed over to the private sector.
The transfer of the projects under the Punjab Public-Private Partnership Authority is expected to generate Rs22 billion in revenue for the Punjab government. Modern electronic toll plazas will also be established on roads shifted to the PPP model.
The projects include the 80-kilometre Muridke-Narowal Road, 33-kilometre Shakargarh-Narowal Road and 97-kilometre Faisalabad Ring Road. The 52-kilometre Faisalabad-Sahianwala Road and 56-kilometre Faisalabad-Samundri-Rajana Road are also part of the PPP projects.
Under the arrangement, private contractors will collect tolls linked with the National Highway Authority for seven years, while the private companies will also be responsible for maintenance, construction and repair of the respective roads.
Vice Chairperson of the Punjab Public-Private Partnership Authority and Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb briefed the meeting on the projects. She said projects involving hostels, hospitals, parks, sports grounds, waste-to-energy facilities, parking plazas, tourism, water supply and recycling were also in the pipeline under the PPP authority.
Effluent treatment plants for filtering toxic industrial wastewater, as well as Zarrar Cafe, tourism and food street projects, will also be completed under the PPP model.
The processing time for projects under the Punjab Public-Private Partnership Authority has been reduced from less than two years to six months.
Four more roads in Punjab will be shifted to the PPP model, including the 42-kilometre Bahawalpur-Yazman Road, 43-kilometre Yazman-Ahmadpur East Road, 28-kilometre Raiwind-Changa Manga Road and 26-kilometre Gajjumata-Kasur Road.
Water and sanitation services projects in Chakwal and Kasur will also be completed under public-private partnerships. In Lahore, the Tourism Department will develop a Time Travel Park under the PPP model.
For the first time, an FMD vaccine protection plant will be established to combat foot-and-mouth disease among livestock. A parking plaza and multimodal commercial facility will also be developed at Badami Bagh bus terminal, while a bridge will be constructed at Sahuka Pattan over the River Sutlej under the PPP model.
Black soldier fly larvae facilities will be established for solid waste management at vegetable and fruit markets across Punjab. The management of 100 sports grounds and other facilities will also be carried out under the PPP framework.
A modern truck terminal will be developed in Faisalabad under the PPP model. Girls’ and boys’ hostels will be constructed at Punjab University and 28 other public-sector universities, while hostels at three medical colleges will also be developed through public-private partnerships.
Fourteen hostels will be established across the province for working women under the PPP model. The operation and development of the Nursing Hostel at Sahiwal Teaching Hospital and Faridia Park Sahiwal will also be undertaken through public-private partnerships.
Projects worth up to Rs500 million can be approved and implemented through the divisional PPP working party headed by the commissioner.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif appreciated Finance Secretary Mujahid Sher Dil, Communications Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar, PPP Authority CEO Dr Zeeshan Hanif and their team for their efforts. Provincial Communications Minister Sohaib Ahmed Bharth, Finance Secretary Mujahid Sher Dil and Communications Secretary Raja Jahangir Anwar also addressed the ceremony.
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WhatsApp rolls out new ‘Mentions and Replies’ chat filter
WhatsApp has began rolling out a new “Mentions and Replies” filter that will enable users to easily identify chats where they have been mentioned or their message has been replied to.
WABetaInfo says the feature is now being implemented for select users on WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.26.42.12.
The new filter will be available in the Chats page, allowing users to see conversations where they have been tagged or their messages addressed. It is said to help you keep track of key communications more easily in huge group conversations and groups.
The feature could be particularly useful for people who get a lot of messages and sometimes miss critical queries, answers or comments in crowded chats.
Another important feature is that even after you have cleared the notifications, the relevant chats will still be available through the filter, enabling you get back to conversations that need your attention.
Users will also be able to tweak the feature as per their tastes with choices to disable it through settings or relocate it to the “More” section.
The “Mentions and Replies” filter is now being handed out to a small number of beta users. WhatsApp has not yet announced when it will be sent out to all users.
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Eight countries, including Pakistan, urge diplomacy to resolve regional conflicts
Foreign ministers of eight nations including Pakistan agreed to the urgent need to resolve regional crises through conversation, diplomacy and de-escalation.
The foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia (R4) and the FMs of France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom, met in Istanbul on 23 October 2026, the Foreign Office stated in a statement on Saturday.
Ministers discussed issues of regional and international importance, namely US/Israel-Iran conflict, Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the need for a negotiated two-state solution, appalling Houthi militia attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Government of Yemen, safety and freedom of navigation, escalated tension in Straits of Hormuz and Bab El Mandeb and the Black Sea.
They pledged their ongoing commitment to contribute to diplomatic efforts to promote peace and stability in the area and beyond and address the security, economic and trade ramifications of these concerns.
They stressed the importance of finding durable negotiated solutions to all ongoing issues in conformity with the applicable UN Resolutions. The Ministers resolved to continue the engagement in this format with a view to averting disputes and promoting peace and stability in the area.
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Pakistan warns Taliban regime to stop supporting terror outfits
Pakistan reiterated its worries about militant activity emanating from Afghan territory and called on the Afghan Taliban leadership to stop all kinds of support, facilitation and tolerance for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and their affiliated groups.
The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting claimed that the claims against Pakistan’s security institutions could not take away from Islamabad’s long-standing security worries. It underlined that Afghan authorities must ensure that their land is not utilised to plan, prepare or carry out terrorist operations against Pakistan.
The ministry, reacting to the latest statements by the Afghan Taliban regime, said Pakistan’s concerns were not conjectural but were based on international reporting and documented proof. It stated that Afghan authorities were responsible for preventing the use of Afghan land for terrorist actions against Pakistan and that the blame on Pakistani security agencies would not clear them of their obligation.
The ministry said it was referring to a report by the United Nations Security Council’s Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, investigating the presence and actions of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, known as document S/2025/796.
It also cited a report presented to the US Congress by the US Lead Inspector General covering Operation Enduring Sentinel from January to March 2026.
The Pakistani ministry’s version of the US report said the Afghan Taliban had continued to allow the TTP to operate from Afghan territory. The report attributed the spike in attacks against Pakistan to growing Taliban backing and greater operational independence for the group.
The statement cited numbers that approximated the size of the TTP at between 4,000 and 6,000 combatants.
The ministry said the foreign evaluations illustrate the seriousness of Pakistan’s worries about terrorist safe havens and support networks in Afghanistan. It said that dismissing the capacity or desire of extremist groups to destabilise Pakistan did not take care of the issues expressed via solid evidence.
The statement also mentioned continuous efforts by armed extremists to get into Pakistan from across the Afghan border. It alluded to the killings of Afghan nationals and members of terrorist groups in Pakistani counter-terrorism operations, and the capture of foreign-made weaponry from militant elements.
“Such issues need to be taken seriously. The concerns raised about Afghan Taliban officials, including in Kandahar, allegedly facilitating terrorist groups need credible explanations and verifiable action, not outright denials,” the ministry said.
Pakistan said its security measures were aimed at terrorist threats, not at the Afghan people. The ministry said peace and stability of the two nations were interlinked and a terrorism-free region would benefit the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
It encouraged the Afghan Taliban administration to take concrete measures to remove the support mechanisms accessible to the TTP, BLA and allied organisations. It added these steps must ensure that Afghan land is not utilised for planning, preparing or executing strikes against Pakistan.
The ministry stated that characterising Pakistan’s legitimate security concerns and steps for defence as enmity toward Afghanistan would neither address the root cause of the crisis, nor would it divert attention from it.
The statement stated that Pakistan would continue to take all necessary actions to preserve its citizens, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
At the same time, Islamabad was ready for a responsible engagement based on mutual respect, verifiable assurances and concrete action against terrorist safe havens, support networks and cross-border infiltration.
The ministry said that sustainable peace in the region would depend on the Afghan Taliban government taking real steps to address Pakistan’s core security concerns in a way that could be independently confirmed.
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