Bread prices in Pakistan have risen by 8% to 9% for the second time this year as manufacturers face higher electricity, gas, raw material and transportation costs. Large, medium and small plain bread now cost Rs270, Rs200 and Rs140, respectively. Bran bread has increased to Rs200, while four burger buns now cost Rs140. Small and large rusk packets have risen to Rs100 and Rs180. The school bun price remains unchanged at Rs25.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved the proposed Ehsaas Buzurg Card in principle, offering free Bus Rapid Transit travel to citizens aged 60 and above. According to an official statement, the provincial government will fund the initiative at an estimated annual cost of Rs935 million. To protect the scheme and prevent misuse, authorities will impose a Rs500 penalty on cardholders who violate the prescribed

The Balochistan Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee has raised serious concerns over alleged irregularities in medicine procurement and the reported disappearance of drugs worth Rs22.825 million from Sandeman Provincial Civil Hospital’s central store in Quetta. The committee was informed that the hospital spent Rs9.576 billion from Rs10.443 billion provided between FY2017-18 and FY2021-22. However, complete expenditure records were not submitted. A special audit also identified significant irregularities in the procurement of medicines worth Rs30.016 million.