BRT Pink Bus Launches for Peshawar Women; Saudia Opens First KP Office as Aviation Expands
Peshawar marked a significant week for public transport and air connectivity, with the launch of the BRT Peshawar Pink Bus Service catering specifically to women commuters and the inauguration of Saudia's first Khyber Pakhtunkhwa office, promising expanded Saudi Arabia flight options for the province. Separately, new official figures confirm that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has received close to Rs 800 billion from the federal government under the additional NFC allocation compensating the province for bearing the costs of Pakistan's war on terror since 2010.
🤝 Women Riders Celebrate Launch of Peshawar BRT Pink Bus Service
Women from diverse professional and social backgrounds gathered for the inaugural journey of the BRT Peshawar Pink Bus Service, welcoming the dedicated transport facility as a meaningful step toward safe, reliable, and dignified public commuting in the city. The launch event drew participation from Senator Rubina Naz, provincial Ombudsperson Rubab Mehdi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commission on the Status of Women Secretary Shazia Atta, former MPA Rabia Basri, and Frontier College for Women Principal Dr Shaheen Umar, alongside lawyers, doctors, students, and social workers. Participants described the Pink Bus Service as addressing a long-standing barrier that had discouraged many women from using public transport due to overcrowding and the absence of gender-segregated facilities on conventional routes. The service runs along the BRT Peshawar corridor, one of the city's primary transit arteries, and is expected to significantly improve daily mobility for women commuters. Advocates noted the initiative could have positive downstream effects on female workforce participation and girls' school enrolment by making commuting safer and more comfortable throughout the city. [2]
🏢 Saudia Inaugurates First Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ticket Office in Peshawar
Saudi Arabia's national carrier Saudia has officially inaugurated its first ticket office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, located in Peshawar, marking a milestone for air connectivity between the province and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Pakistan Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki jointly presided over the inauguration ceremony, which underscored the strong bilateral ties between KP's large diaspora community in Saudi Arabia and its host country. Hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis travel to Saudi Arabia annually, primarily to perform Hajj and Umrah, and the Peshawar office makes Saudia ticketing and passenger services directly accessible to province residents without requiring them to travel to Islamabad or Lahore. Governor Kundi also called on Saudi officials to consider establishing a Saudi consulate in Peshawar to further ease documentation and visa requirements faced by KP travellers and pilgrims. The Saudia office opening is expected to stimulate competition on KP air routes and contribute to better fares and expanded service options for residents. [4]
🗳️ KP Received Nearly Rs 800 Billion in NFC Anti-Terror Compensation Since 2010
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has accumulated nearly Rs 800 billion in additional federal resource transfers under the 1 percent NFC allocation that compensates the province for bearing the socioeconomic costs of Pakistan's war on terror since 2010-11. The special allocation was established to acknowledge KP's disproportionate burden from security operations, displacement, and infrastructure damage associated with counter-terrorism activity along the Afghan border and in former tribal regions. For the current fiscal year 2026-27, the total allocation is estimated at Rs 149.076 billion, of which Rs 23.069 billion had been released to the province in the first two and a half months of the year. The funds, disbursed by the federal government directly to the provincial treasury, are intended to support rehabilitation, reconstruction, and developmental expenditure in areas most affected by conflict. The figures provide fresh context for the scale of fiscal support the Peshawar-based KP government has received to manage the long-term fallout of anti-militancy campaigns in the northwestern province over more than fifteen years. [1]
🎓 KP Education Minister Congratulates BISE Peshawar Toppers and Passed Students
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Provincial Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education, Arshad Ayub Khan, formally congratulated position holders and all students who successfully passed their board examinations under the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Peshawar. The minister's statement, issued through the Directorate General of Information and Public Relations KP, acknowledged the sustained efforts of both students and their teachers in achieving results that reflect ongoing improvement in educational standards across the province. BISE Peshawar conducts matriculation and intermediate examinations for tens of thousands of students each year across Peshawar and surrounding districts, and the announcement of results and recognition of top performers are among the most significant events in KP's education calendar. Ministerial acknowledgement serves to motivate students and demonstrates the government's commitment to academic excellence in the public school system. The congratulatory message also reflects the KP government's broader emphasis on education reform, increased school enrolment, and improved instruction quality across public institutions in the province. [3]
🏢 South Air Gets Regulatory Approval for Peshawar-Quetta and Peshawar-Lahore Flights
South Air, a Pakistani domestic carrier, received regulatory approval to launch scheduled flights on the Peshawar-Quetta and Peshawar-Lahore routes, adding new connectivity options for travellers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The approval, granted by aviation authorities, expands the airline's network and directly serves two of Pakistan's busiest intercity travel corridors linking Peshawar. The Peshawar-Lahore route is among the most heavily used in Pakistani domestic aviation, and the addition of South Air's services is expected to increase competition and potentially reduce fares for travellers. The Peshawar-Quetta connection is strategically significant for trade, pilgrim travel, and inter-provincial movement along Pakistan's western corridor. South Air's entry into these markets comes as domestic aviation sees renewed activity following years of disruption. Travellers from Peshawar will benefit from a broader choice of carriers and departure schedules on both routes, improving overall access to air travel from the provincial capital. [6]
🤝 UNICEF: Twin Sisters in Peshawar Survive Severe Malnutrition Through Therapeutic Food
A UNICEF report documents the survival story of twin sisters Safa and Shifa, born in December 2024 in a Peshawar hospital to Zaiba Khan, a 23-year-old whose husband works as a rickshaw driver. Their grandmother Dilbara Bibi recounts the anxious hours outside the labour room praying for the safe delivery of two infants in a family already under economic strain. The twins were born into a province where nearly 40 percent of children are undernourished, and the family soon struggled to meet the nutritional demands of two infants. Through support at the Nazar Bostan Civil Dispensary in Peshawar, the twins received Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food and regular nutritionist guidance that helped Safa recover from severe acute malnutrition. The UNICEF feature presents this family's journey as emblematic of the challenges facing low-income households in KP and underscores the critical role of accessible frontline nutrition programmes in reducing child mortality and stunting. The story highlights the need for sustained investment in community health services across Peshawar and the wider province. [7]
Sources: [2] The News Pakistan · [4] Arab News PK · [1] The News Pakistan · [3] Directorate General Information & PRs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa · [6] The Nation (Pakistan ) · [7] Unicef