From Governor House to the Versailles Palace
The Treasury Department of the Punjab government has released funds to the tune of Rs. 115,200,000 (11 crore 52 lakh) for the improvement and further embellishment of the Governor House. Daily Jang reported (Aug 08, 2016) that hefty amounts (totaling far more than this) have been spent over the past two years on the Governor House itself, as well as its staff and security.
Presidential domestic bliss, with films
Mahmooda Mamnoon Hussain said she has always had a high level of understanding with her husband, the President of Pakistan. According to Daily Jang (Aug 08, 2016), she said that in her family, there was no precedent for watching films. The first film she saw was with her husband, after marriage.
Police procedures and due process
In the Mughalpura area of Lahore, police permitted several detainees on judicial remand to walk away from the lock-up. Police had raided a billiard club, arresting 25 young men. The poorer ones were allowed to leave while those who appeared to have more money were kept in detention until the next day, when they paid the sum of Rs. 5000 to police constables and were allowed to leave. Daily Jang (Aug 09, 2016) reports that the Superintendent of Police (SP) has detained two constables allegedly responsible for this.
Wolves in sheep’s clothing?
Daily Jang (Aug 12, 2016) reported the Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali as having made the observation that there is almost no screening of guards being hired by private security agencies. These criminals working as security guards are responsible for many violent acts, including bank robberies. The Chief Justice raised the possibility that Taliban spies and RAW agents might also pose as private security guards in the absence of proper background checks.
Cattle-rustling cops
Two alleged thieves active in stealing livestock were caught from Lahore. After being roughed up, they were handed over to the police. Daily Jang (Aug 11, 2016) reports that one of them claims to be a policeman himself. In the course of initial investigation, it was discovered that he did, in fact, possess a police ID.
Locked and loaded - till death do them apart
Daily Nawa-i-Waqt reported (Aug 10, 2016) that a couple appearing before a Session Court in Lahore was apprehended after a search of the young woman’s bag at the entrance revealed a pistol and several bullets. The man and woman came to the court so as to enter into a marriage of their own choosing (pasand ki shaadi). The couple defended their actions saying that they needed protection against their irate family members, but this explanation was not accepted by authorities.
Undercover lover
Daily Nawa-I-Waqt reported (Aug 11, 2016) that a burqa-clad young man was caught trying to meet his lady love in the Shahdara area of Lahore. The compromised young lover (aashiq) was roughed up by locals and his head was shaved before he was handed over to the police.
Sobbing daredevils
Daily Nawa-i-Waqt (Aug 12, 2016) reported that another 9 young men accused of one-wheeling and other dangerous motorcycle stunts on city streets have been apprehended by police, while 35 have been imprisoned. The newspaper reported many of the young thrill-seekers as crying copiously (zaar-o-qataar rona), now that their dangerous entertainment had been cut short by authorities.
Sheikh Rasheed’s recommendation
Daily Express (Aug 14, 2016) quoted Awami Muslim League leader Sheikh Rasheed as saying that if the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif fears a threat to democracy from any investigation into the ongoing Panama Leaks allegations, then he (Nawaz) ought to wear a dancer’s anklet (ghungroo) and associated jewelry, and take up dancing.
Unusual medical procedures
Doctors at the Services Hospital in Lahore clashed with police operatives, resulting in injuries to one doctor. Daily Nawa-i-Waqt reported (Aug 12, 2016) that the fist-fight broke out when doctors treating a prisoner brought from jail asked the accompanying policemen to leave the room. The policemen refused, insisting that the prisoner might attempt an escape. This situation escalated into a full-blown brawl. Both sides are now suing the other.