Overview
- Punjab approved a shift to public–private partnerships for road, housing and hostel construction and maintenance, with at least 30% of the 2026–27 development program to be delivered via PPP, plus upgrades to key corridors and water projects in Chakwal and Kasur.
- Punjab also promoted its Suthra Punjab waste-management drive, reported by foreign journals as the world’s largest system, citing daily disposal of 50,000 tons with 30,000 vehicles and over 150,000 workers; the superlative remains a reported claim.
- Chief Justice Yahya Afridi convened a high-level session with tax authorities and set priority for speedy disposal of long-pending, high-value tax disputes, calling delays harmful to fiscal space and investor confidence.
- The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority submitted recommendations to reduce heavy taxes on imported mobile phones to lower prices and boost legal imports, noting the proposal awaits government action.
- Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi ordered intensified FIA action against money laundering, hundi/hawala and human smuggling, with officials reporting 20 agent arrests and Rs140 million in seizures over four months; local measures included strict ‘Safe Basant’ rules in Lahore for Feb 6–8, internal policing accountability in Lahore, and Karachi police arresting a Lyari gang figure during an alleged robbery.