The local government of Punjab District Narowal announced a public holiday on Saturday, November 1, 2025, in honour of the yearly Urs of Hazrat Pir Syed Jamaat Ali Shah Lasani at Alipur Syedan Sharif. This announcement has made the residents of Narowal happy. This weekend, residents will get two holidays in a row because Sunday is a regular weekly holiday.

Holiday Schedule in Narowal

Holiday Notification by DC Narowal

The official announcement, made by Deputy Commissioner Syed Hassan Raza, stated that all governmental departments, educational institutions, and government offices will be closed on Saturday. The goal is to guarantee residents’ full engagement and the Urs event’s seamless administration.

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Key Highlights of the Urs Celebration

Alipur Syedan Sharif is anticipated to welcome thousands of devotees from all around Pakistan. Teams from the Health Department, Rescue 1122, and the police will be on duty around-the-clock. Plans for traffic control were put into place to handle the large number of pilgrims. For the convenience of guests, food, potable water, and medical tents are set up. Restrooms and restrooms are spread out in strategic regions. Barriers and security checks are in place for crowd control and security.

Residents of Narowal are looking forward to the spiritual gathering of Hazrat Pir Syed Jamaat Ali Shah Lasani following the announcement of two holidays in Punjab District. With careful planning, community cooperation, and strict security, the district is prepared to receive thousands of pilgrims for a joyous and tranquil Urs festival.

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The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has revised and released an official list of active MS/MPhil (Level 7) and PhD (Level 8) programs on its official website.

The list is available at https://www.hec.gov.pk/site/MS-MPhil-PhD.

HEC recently hosted statewide training sessions for PQR focal individuals, who are accountable at universities for preserving program data in the Pakistan Qualification Register (PQR).

These workshops emphasised the importance of degree programs being appropriately entered and approved in accordance with the National Qualifications Framework (NQF).

These trainings have helped colleges clean up their PQR listings, and HEC has made the corrected lists available to the public.

ALSO READ: Punjab Chief Minister launches the Honhaar Scholarship Program for outstanding students

This allows students to simply check whether a program is officially recognised before applying.

HEC highly urges students to examine both the PQR and NOC Issued Lists before applying.

Choosing a curriculum not mentioned in the PQR may imply that your degree won’t be attested later.

The PQR is a valuable tool that displays the status of programs (active, suspended, or closed), compares them to NQF levels, and assists students, institutions, companies, and regulators in making educated decisions.

The publication of an updated list of active MS/MPhil and PhD programs is a significant step towards more openness in Pakistan’s higher education system.

These updates assist students by allowing them to make more informed judgements and avoid unapproved programs.

At the same time, colleges gain clarity and conformity, increasing public faith in academic standards.

This program demonstrates HEC’s dedication to ensure that only officially recognised and current qualifications are given, hence boosting Pakistan’s academic system.

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LAHORE: Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the chief minister of Punjab, officially launched the Honhaar Scholarship Program, which will enable exceptional students to get admission to prestigious public and private universities.

Speaking at the Honhaar Scholarship Program’s launching ceremony at Punjab University in Lahore, Chief Minister Punjab stated that capable kids can now enroll in LUMS, FAST, and other public and private institutions and medical institutes, which was previously an unattainable goal for them. CM Maryam Nawaz expressed her desire to see literature in young people’s hands rather than shells, stones, and bullets.

ALSO READ: Punjab schools announced winter vacation schedule: Holidays will start on Dec 20

CM Maryam clarified that all scholarships are awarded based on merit, and no student may submit a complaint alleging that merit has been violated. She assured the students that political prejudice would not be tolerated by the government.

The delegates were informed by CM Maryam that the Punjab government has consistently guaranteed merit when appointing DCs, commissioners, and secretaries to various government ministries. She also informed the students that in order to ensure that they have no obstacles when pursuing higher education, the Punjab government will begin offering laptops to deserving students in January 2025.

The chief minister added that the youth and their future were the only things on her mind.

The Honhaar Scholarship honors students’ abilities and diligence. We honor their commitment by providing them with a guard of honor.

In addition to overseeing the launch of a laptop program for students beginning in January and growing the e-bike distribution program, she also announced grants for students seeking higher study overseas.

Thirty thousand of the more than 70,000 applicants for the program were awarded scholarships intended for students from both public and private universities.

Punjab has declared winter vacation for all public and private schools in the province. According to Punjab Secretary of Schools Khalid Nazir Wattoo, schools would be closed for 20 days from December 20, 2024, to January 10, 2025, during the winter break. The statement coincided with the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) order to provide pick-and-drop services for kids following winter break to combat the growing threat of smog. In his three-page written ruling on smog prevention petitions, LHC Justice Shahid Karim provided the instructions on Monday.

The court directed that kids use school-provided transport to get to school. The LHC bench threatened to seal any schools that did not follow these directives. It further stated that no school should publish written disclaimers that release them from liability for the transportation of its children. The written decision further said that several persons had been arrested for stubble burning and that the Punjab government has updated the court on the measures being taken to alleviate the smog problem.

ALSO READ: Punjab extends school holidays for another week amid severe smog: shift to online classes

Families might take advantage of the longer break to organize vacations or spend time together. There will be no academic activities throughout the vacation, and schools will be fully shuttered. With this notification, staff and students can take a stress-free break and rejuvenate before returning to their academic schedules.

In the face of smog and changing weather, the Punjab School Education Department has implemented revised Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to guarantee student safety. These steps are meant to maintain learning even in the face of adversity and establish a balance between public health issues and academic demands.

Although the winter break will give students a vacation from the stress of the environmental problem and the demands of academic schedules, it also highlights the pressing need for long-term solutions to address pollution in one of the most populated provinces in the nation.

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LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to keep all schools closed for another week, with the exception of Murree, in an attempt to alleviate the dangerous smog conditions that have been present for the last few weeks.

Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said at a news conference in Lahore today that in order to protect students, colleges and universities would go to online learning. The Punjab administration proclaimed a “health emergency” in Multan and Lahore, which are the hardest affected by pollution. In addition to stating that the government will make another choice on Wednesday, the provincial minister said that a complete lockdown will be implemented in Multan and Lahore on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

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In an effort to reduce student exposure to contaminated air, the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) first prohibited schools and colleges in the districts of Lahore and Faisalabad, along with a number of other districts, from November 7 through November 17, 2024. Additionally, the EPA moved classroom activities online. The new directive, communicated to department heads and secretaries, requires that half of the staff work from home, while the remaining employees will continue to work on-site. All interdepartmental meetings will be conducted online, and individuals who commute to work are encouraged to carpool in order to mitigate the emissions of vehicles that contribute to air pollution.

The government has attributed the deteriorating pollution to the increased emissions of vehicles, which have resulted in an increase in respiratory diseases. The Environment Department has requested the immediate implementation of commuting measures and the remote work model to alleviate road traffic and further reduce pollutants.

The government’s latest move, which followed the ongoing efforts to combat hazardous pollution, likewise complied with such measures, including extending school closures for an additional week.

“In order to prevent additional pollution, construction activities in the two cities will be prohibited from this Saturday until next Sunday,” the provincial minister continued.

In addition, the minister declared that the restaurants in Lahore and Multan would henceforth only provide takeout until 8 p.m. and allow eating in until 4 p.m.