Saudia Opens First KPK Office in Peshawar as Province Launches Women's E-Scooter Scheme and Heritage Restoration
Peshawar is seeing a cluster of development announcements, with Saudi airline Saudia establishing its first Khyber Pakhtunkhwa office in the city and the provincial government launching a pilot program to distribute free electric scooters to women students and workers. Meanwhile, long-awaited restoration work has begun on some of the old city's most storied historic sites, including the 19th-century Sethi House, while the University of Peshawar inaugurates a new engineering faculty and the city moves forward on subsidized housing applications.
🏢 Saudia Opens Hayatabad Office to Serve Pilgrims and Labor Migrants
Saudi national airline Saudia has established its first office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, opening in Peshawar's Hayatabad commercial area to serve passengers traveling between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The new office will be particularly important for pilgrims undertaking Hajj and Umrah, as well as for the province's large population of labor migrants working in Gulf countries. Saudia's regional director for Pakistan, Abdullah Al-Rashid, presided over the inauguration. The airline currently operates several weekly flights connecting Peshawar to Jeddah, Riyadh, and Madinah — three of the most critical destinations for Pakistani religious travelers and workers. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has a significant tradition of labor migration to Gulf countries, and provincial residents previously had to travel elsewhere for in-person airline services. The Peshawar office is expected to make booking and customer service considerably more accessible for residents of the province. The office will also handle cargo and freight services. The opening reflects growing demand from KPK's population for direct aviation access to Saudi Arabia and is expected to benefit the thousands of pilgrims who depart from Peshawar and surrounding districts each year for the holy cities. [1]
🗳️ KP Government Approves Free E-Scooters for Female Students and Workers
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has approved a pilot program to distribute 500 free electric scooters to women in Peshawar as part of a gender mobility initiative. The scheme targets female students and working women in the provincial capital and is part of the PTI-led provincial government's women empowerment agenda. Provincial minister for women affairs Zulaikha stated that the program will be expanded to additional districts if the pilot proves successful. Applications will be accepted online through the KPITB portal. Proponents argue that improved mobility will help women access educational institutions and workplaces that are difficult to reach by public transport, potentially expanding economic and educational participation for women across the city. The initiative has received both praise from gender-equality advocates and criticism from other segments of society, reflecting the range of perspectives on women's mobility in Peshawar. The pilot represents one of the more concrete policy measures introduced under the provincial government's gender-focused agenda. If the scheme achieves its intended impact, it could serve as a model for similar programs in other districts and provinces looking to address the mobility challenges that limit women's participation in public life. [2]
🪔 Sethi House and Cunningham Clock Tower Enter Long-Awaited Restoration
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa archaeology department has launched a restoration project for several historic sites in Peshawar's old city, including the Sethi House and the Cunningham Clock Tower. The project draws funding from the provincial development budget and a UNESCO grant, signaling international recognition of the significance of Peshawar's built heritage. Sethi House, a 19th-century merchant mansion in the old city's Sethi Mohalla, is considered one of Pakistan's finest surviving examples of Peshawar merchant architecture, featuring elaborately carved wooden facades and interior courtyards characteristic of the era. The restoration aims both to preserve these landmarks for future generations and to develop heritage tourism potential in one of the subcontinent's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Peshawar's old city carries layers of history across Gandharan, Mughal, Sikh, and British colonial periods, and the deterioration of landmark structures has long been a concern among historians and conservation advocates. The project marks a meaningful step toward safeguarding the architectural heritage of a city whose historic fabric has come under increasing pressure from urban growth and neglect. [3]
🎓 University of Peshawar Inaugurates New Engineering Faculty with 300 Students
The University of Peshawar has inaugurated a new faculty of engineering offering three degree programs: renewable energy engineering, mechatronics, and data science. The faculty was formally opened by the KPK Governor in a ceremony attended by senior academics and provincial officials, with over 300 students enrolled in the first cohort. The university has established academic partnerships with Turkish and Chinese universities for student exchange and research collaboration. The addition of renewable energy engineering is particularly significant given Pakistan's sustained energy challenges, while the mechatronics and data science programs reflect growing regional demand for technology-oriented graduates. The new faculty represents a significant expansion of higher education opportunities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and positions the University of Peshawar to play a more active role in training engineers and technology professionals for domestic and international careers. Partnerships with Turkish and Chinese institutions are expected to facilitate joint research initiatives and student mobility in the coming academic years, broadening the horizons available to students at one of the province's leading public universities. [4]
🗳️ Police Dismantle Phone Theft Gang Operating in Qissa Khwani and Saddar
Peshawar police have dismantled a seven-member gang responsible for stealing hundreds of mobile phones in the city's commercial areas. The gang operated primarily in Qissa Khwani Bazaar and Saddar, two of Peshawar's busiest and most frequented commercial districts. In the operation, authorities recovered 214 stolen mobile phones along with three motorcycles and Rs 450,000 in cash. The accused have been registered in multiple first information reports. The arrests follow what police described as a sustained operation targeting organized theft in Peshawar's markets. The recovery of more than two hundred handsets suggests the gang had been active for a considerable period. Qissa Khwani Bazaar, historically known as the Street of Storytellers, is one of the city's oldest commercial areas and a constant presence in daily life for residents and visitors alike, making security in the area a matter of broad public concern. The operation is expected to bring relief to traders and shoppers in the affected neighborhoods. Mobile phone theft in busy urban markets has been an ongoing challenge for law enforcement in Peshawar, and the dismantling of this particular network is regarded as a meaningful step in ongoing efforts to improve security in the city's commercial core. [5]
🏢 Naya Pakistan Housing Program Opens Applications for Peshawar Phase
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has opened applications for the Naya Pakistan Housing Program in Peshawar, with over 10,000 subsidized housing units planned for the provincial capital in the first phase. The scheme targets low-income families and offers units at subsidized rates intended to bring home ownership within reach of residents who would otherwise struggle to afford market-rate accommodation. Applications are being accepted both online and at designated offices across the city, ensuring accessibility for a range of applicants. The housing initiative is part of a broader federal and provincial effort to address Pakistan's significant housing shortage. Peshawar, like many Pakistani cities, has experienced rapid population growth over recent decades, driven in part by migration from rural areas and from conflict-affected regions, placing considerable pressure on the city's housing supply and infrastructure. The opening of applications is expected to generate substantial interest from low- and middle-income families across the city and surrounding districts. The scale of the planned first phase — more than ten thousand units — signals a serious commitment to addressing the housing gap, though implementation and timelines will be watched closely by both applicants and housing advocates in the months ahead. [7]
Sources: [1] Arab News PK · [2] The Express Tribune · [3] dgipr.kp.gov.pk · [4] The Nation (Pakistan ) · [5] The News Pakistan · [7] Arab News PK